Plato's Mind Body Problem

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Some of the earliest philosophers have tried to infer a solution to the mind-body problem. Each philosopher constructs their own view of existence off of ideas from one another. They all contributed their own interpretations and meanings of their understanding of existence. Plato was one of the earliest philosophers to explore the unexplained existence of the soul and body. He developed the belief that the mind is where the soul and body are in unison with one another. Although he holds this perception, that they are both united, he still believes that they are two very separate, very different kinds of substance. From the perspective of Plato, the only thing that divides the mental from the physical is the fact that the body is susceptible …show more content…
He focused formed an explanation of existence that focused on the physical causes of existence; and in addition, he found the whole idea of the soul was in relationship to activities of the brain. Ryle also adopts similar views as Descartes, but more complex. The only difference being the categories that they were attributed to.
Ryle involved a much bigger concept than just dualism alone. He believed that the mind-body problem is about the interaction between materialism and dualism. He did not quite view the body and mind as two separate things, like Descartes; however, Ryle did not agree with Descartes in the same sense. He had this notion that mind and body did not exist on the same level. Ryle addressed the idea of the mind as more of an abstract concept, and all perceptions and functions were all attributed as parts of the mind. Searle rejects the automaton theory. The automaton theory interprets actions in the mind, but it does not explain the meaning of the actions. He also believes that meaning exists synonymously with consciousness. He expressed the idea of this concept using “The Chinese Room Argument.” In this argument, Searle is enclosed in a room with a few Chinese characters and a computer. Searle has no knowledge of what the characters mean; yet he is still able create meaning using the characters. With the use of the computer, he convinced the people outside of the room he
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