Michael 哲學論文讀後感 - “The Causal Theory of Mind – D. M. Armstrong"

Author: Michael Hsu (許舜斌)
Date: 7/18/2006

Journal:
Armstrong uses the Causal analysis of mental states to prove that the statement, mental states are physical states of the brain, is intelligible, so scientist can use his framework to explain the mind. The causal analysis explain concepts by the effect of certain cause, but to explain a mental state may be not easy for needing other mental states. For example, how we explain a purpose needs beliefs, other purposes, or perception, so mental states are explained by other mental states. In addition, different mental contents, like a desire for water and a desire for food, are distinguish by the relation between cause, effect, and other mental states, so in this sense I think the causal theory of mind is a kind of holism of mental contents. However, I always have a question about the holism of mental contents, how do we distinguish the same mental content, like a belief about god, in different people? In other words, because in causal theory we distinguish a mental content by other mental states, two identical mental contents should have the same relation among other mental contents in this sense. If a person learns a new belief, the relations among beliefs, desire, etc. are totally different. So, do we say he can’t be found any the same belief?Another debate, which had deal by Armstrong, is about the second qualities, and I think it is the debate about consciousness. Because consciousness has some special properties, like subjectivity and qualitiveness, so physicalists always want to explain away these properties. In this paper, I think Armstrong want to explain away the qualitiveness by arguing the second qualities, which are always taken as a sword against physicalism, are only physical properties in external world. He uses colors to be a example, and he thinks that colors are perceived object, which are in external world. But, in cognitive science we have a lot examples to say colors are created in our brain. For example, the same color surrounding different colors is seen as two different colors, but the same stimulus cause our retina. (sees below link, an example for this kind of illusion) In this sense we receive the same causes from external world, but we don’t have the same colors. So, how does Armstrong explain colors as external properties?

Color Illusion: http://www.grand-illusions.com/square.htm