Class notes Nov 5.


Personal identity: Bertrand Russel (modified materialist. Soul depends on the body for existence.)
Modern restatement of; semis/Aristotle.

(P1) Personal identity is continuity of memory and character (habits) Memory and Habits
a. It is personalities that makes us different
1. Happy, sick sense of humor…
2. Prince and the pauper.

(P2) Memory and character depend on the structure of the brain.
a. Therefore the person (spirit) dies with the body.

Argument for P2. Brain injuries cause corresponding mind injuries.
1. Head trauma causes amnesia
a. If unsubstantial (spirit, mind) could not be effective by something substantial
2. Encephalitis, Lethargic can cause a change in character.
3. In the movie “Henry” a brain injury causes a sleazy lawyer to become a loving family man.

Dualist response:
The brain is an interface between body and soul.
Example: A racecar driver might be skilled and able to win a race, but He can’t if the racecar is damaged. 1 flat tire, 3 missing spark plug wires.
Once you die your soul will be clear again.

Belief:
Vitalism is the idea that biological life involves a spiritual life force beyond mechanical and biochemical forces at work. Died out between late 19th and early 20th century. Abandoned after biological life could be explained; converting sugars to energy.

Analogy to Vatialism:
Just as Vitalism was dropped when we could explain life scientifically, someday we will drop the soul when we can explain consciousness scientifically.

Psychological explanation for beliefs in immortality.
1. Fear of death.
2. Human pride (a special place in universe, in gods image).

Argument to prove life after death by bishop of Birmingham:
1. He can build and calculate the distance to the Sun.
2. Man is valuable because
a. Science.
b. Art.
c. Morality.
So it would be irrational for god to let man parish utterly at death.

Objections: If someone led a bad life will they not be saved?
1. Some people seem more valuable then others.
2. We think man is valuable because we are humans.
3. Ignores humanities negative qualities:
a. Ignorance.
b. Ugliness.
c. Evil.
4. Maybe we are replaceable?
a. Ageing (why would ageing happen if god wanted us around?).

Russel argues:
The intrusion of moral and art conflict with science. (Seems like bad argument)

Bishop of Birmingham:
Humanity is esthetically, morally and scientifically excellent. God would not have created such a valuable creature as man only to have him die.

Russel:
1.Aesthetics and morality often conflict with science.
2.Nature is indifferent to human morality.
3. Morality differs from culture to culture, person to person.
4. Human values are myopic, emerging from are struggle for survival. *Prof. Burrowdale said to remember this reason.

Reincarnation: (Ancient Greeks-Plato and Socrates both believed in it.)
1. When you die your soul goes to the next body.
2. There is a stop over (talk to God).
3. You most likely will not remember past life.

Experiment to test reincarnation hypothesis:
1. Empanel a group of historians. They don’t know the source of the information.
2. Hypnotically regress random sample of people.
3. See results.


Read personal identity and free will for Tuesday Nov 7th.