A Mind's Identity
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Submitted by freefortermpapers on 06/24/2008 03:00 PM
- Category: Religion
- Words: 1233
- Pages: 5
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A Mind's Identity
A Mind's Identity
In this paper I will argue that my friend has no mental state. My friend has been discovered as a machine which has a complex digital computer as a brain; in other words, she has no brain. Although my friend, without a brain, has the ability to make conversations and answer questions that are being asked, however, that does not mean she has the ability to think, feel, doubt or have any properties equivalent of a person with mental states. In the identical theory, mental states equals brain states. Which means, the state of processing of the mind is identical to the state of processing of the brain. Thinking, doubting and judging are examples of mental substances, or mind substance. These substances involve the processing of the brain, therefore, mind equals brain. Without a brain, there can be no brain states, or brain process, which now I can also eliminate mental states, or mind process. Hence, my friend has no mental states because she has no brain.
Overall, I agree to all three arguments the doctor has issued. In the first argument, the doctor claimed that my friend has no mental state because she does not have a soul and only being with souls have mental states. To reply to this argument, I believe it is true that soul equals mind. A being without a soul is a being without mind. The soul (or mind) consists of the sensations of touch, sound, sight, taste, smell and also emotions and activities such as, joy, jealousy, believing, desiring and doubting. (Descartes, p.141) Hence, my friend, without a soul, surly does not have mental states. But why is that necessarily true? I will prove them with the arguments below. In the first argument the doctor also claimed that my friend has no mental states therefore cannot feel pain and believe I am her friend and desire to have waffles over pancakes. To reply to the prier argument, pain is a sensation, and sensation is a report of something (aches in this...
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