Mind/Body Problem Essay

569 Words3 Pages
PHIL201 Discussion Board 1 The Mind-Body Problem Jeff Britt Picard’s beliefs are based on the Materialism view of the “Mind-Body Problem”. A materialist believes “that humans have both physical and mental attributes but says that both are attributes of the same thing – namely, a living human organism (Hasker, pp. 69 – 70).” Picard viewed Data as his equal. They may have had a different birth, or beginning, but the result is the same; a person that has the ability to make have feelings and make decisions for themselves. Data’s “brain” is no different than Picard’s; it is a component of their physical state and not linked to a soul that is given by God or another higher power. Humans are machines that are born of parents whose characteristics and attributes combine to create a child. Data is a machine that was born by scientist that developed algorithms to allow him to make decisions and choices that it believes are right. The decisions that Data or a human make are based on what was “input” into them when they were born or created. As a materialist Picard sees no difference between Data and himself because they are both have the same mental and physical capabilities. In arguing Data’s case materialism would have problems with the first law of logic which states “Something cannot both be and not be at the same time and in the same respect (Foreman, p. 116).” In Picard’s view Data is the same as him so the law is not contradicted, but a strong argument can be made that Data is undeniably a man-made “thing” so it cannot possible be a “thing” and a human at the same time. Maddox’s belief that Data is just property is based on the Dualism view of the “Mind-Body Problem”. Dualist believes are that “human beings have both physical properties and mental properties. Physical properties are properties of the body while mental properties are properties
Open Document