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body-body problem

sandwiches

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I have heard of the mind-body problem which asks "how does a immaterial soul interact with or effect change in the material body? What mechanism is there?"

But I want to know how does a material object interact with another material object? I expect you might say there is contact or fields interacting, and take us to a more fundamental level of physics. But I can ask "why or how is that?" ad infinitum. I expect that somewhere along the line the answer will be "We don't know!"

Would it be fair to characterise this eventual situation, if it actually exists, as a "body-body" problem for theories of physical-material causation?

BTW is "mechanism" actually still widely regarded in the philosophy of science as it was in the time of Newton or Descartes I believe, or does it belong to the graveyard of outdated ideas? If it is outmoded, then would it really be fair for the dualist (believer in immaterial soul and material body) to be required to provide a mechanistic explanation of mind-body interaction as if that were in the spirit of science. If that is so it would seem at first glance to be an instance of double standards (requiring proof of mechanism for soul-body interactions but not for body-body interactions).

I think the problem is thinking that everything has a "deeper" answer. For instance, the answer to why quarks behave the way they do might simply because that's one of their inherent properties. Why? There might simply not be a reason. It's not just that we don't know it, it's that there isn't any. They act the way they do because they can.

I know it's not a particularly satisfying answer to many but truth sometimes isn't.
 
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GrowingSmaller

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I think the problem is thinking that everything has a "deeper" answer. For instance, the answer to why quarks behave the way they do might simply because that's one of their inherent properties. Why? There might simply not be a reason. It's not just that we don't know it, it's that there isn't any. They act the way they do because they can.

I know it's not a particularly satisfying answer to many but truth sometimes isn't.
So if I use that explanation for soul-body interaction is it acceptable?
 
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KCfromNC

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So if I use that explanation for soul-body interaction is it acceptable?

Sure. You'll still be lacking any sort of evidence of a soul, descriptions of what this interaction is, or testable theories to differentiate it from similar naturalistic theories, but at least you'll have something. I guess. Actually, that doesn't leave you with much more than an unexplained something which does something you don't even pretend to understand.
 
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sandwiches

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So if I use that explanation for soul-body interaction is it acceptable?

I think KC hit the nail on the head. You can use that explanation for anything you want. However, the fact remains that we can and do experience matter-matter interaction everyday, whether we can explain it or not. However, we have yet to experience any soul, and therefore any soul-body interactions.
 
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GrowingSmaller

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However, we have yet to experience any soul, and therefore any soul-body interactions.
Experience? You mean see under a microscope or something. But if a soul is immaterial one would not expect that anyway, just as one would not expect to find the number one in a haystack. I suppose you can presume empiricism, and then adduce its utility via science, I have no problems with that. But I don't think lack of empirical soul data actually demonstrates a lack of soul.
 
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sandwiches

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Experience? You mean see under a microscope or something. But if a soul is immaterial one would not expect that anyway, just as one would not expect to find the number one in a haystack. I suppose you can presume empiricism, and then adduce its utility via science, I have no problems with that. But I don't think lack of empirical soul data actually demonstrates a lack of soul.

Irrelevant. We experience, detect, and observe matter and interactions of matter with other every single day. As per your own admission, we can't and haven't experienced, detected, or observed the soul. Therefore, we can't say ANYTHING it and much less about soul-body interactions. At least, nothing better or more valid than anyone else's guess.
 
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acropolis

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Experience? You mean see under a microscope or something. But if a soul is immaterial one would not expect that anyway, just as one would not expect to find the number one in a haystack. I suppose you can presume empiricism, and then adduce its utility via science, I have no problems with that. But I don't think lack of empirical soul data actually demonstrates a lack of soul.

Nor does lack of evidence for invisible pink unicorns demonstrate a lack of invisible pink unicorns.
 
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GrowingSmaller

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Nor does lack of evidence for invisible pink unicorns demonstrate a lack of invisible pink unicorns.
I have no idea why you would even want to say that, in the context of the current conversaiton that is...
 
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GrowingSmaller

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Irrelevant. We experience, detect, and observe matter and interactions of matter with other every single day. As per your own admission, we can't and haven't experienced, detected, or observed the soul.
What about self awareness. If there is a soul then we may be aware of it. I think that this is the type of consciousness typically regarded as soul awareness by pre-moderns.


Therefore, we can't say ANYTHING it and much less about soul-body interactions. At least, nothing better or more valid than anyone else's guess.
I will to move my hand, my hand moves, is a candidate for soul body interaction. Even if the soul does not exist, the formulation is still logically valid.
 
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KCfromNC

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I have no idea why you would even want to say that, in the context of the current conversaiton that is...

It's relevant in that lack of evidence is only a non-issue for things we'd expect to have no interaction with reality. On the other hand, if you're proposing something that has actual effects in the real world, then a lack of evidence in places we'd expect it should be troubling for people proposing the idea.
 
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KCfromNC

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What about self awareness. If there is a soul then we may be aware of it.

May be? The best you can come up with is that maybe if we have a soul than we might or might not be aware of it? You're proving the previous point that we can't seem to know anything at all about this elusive idea of souls.

I will to move my hand, my hand moves, is a candidate for soul body interaction. Even if the soul does not exist, the formulation is still logically valid.
Scientific hypotheses requite more than logical validity to be considered. That's what makes science superior to other methods when it come to learning about reality.
 
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acropolis

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I have no idea why you would even want to say that, in the context of the current conversaiton that is...

There is as much evidence for invisible pink unicorns as there is for a soul. No evidence for certainly doesn't prove nonexistence, but there still isn't any reason to believe in something which has no evidence for it. There are an infinite number of non-testable ideas you can come up with: invisible pink unicorns, angels, souls, ghosts, etc. and none of them are at all convincing since there is no evidence that demonstrates or implies their existence.
 
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sandwiches

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What about self awareness. If there is a soul then we may be aware of it.
We don't seem to be, though. Now, keep in mind that if there is a soul and this soul interacts with matter then, contrary to your prior guess, the soul could be empirically examined "under a microscope." If it can't be empirically detected, then we can't detect it period.

I think that this is the type of consciousness typically regarded as soul awareness by pre-moderns.
We can call consciousness anything we wan't but just because we change the name, doesn't make it any less physical than any other process of matter.

I will to move my hand, my hand moves, is a candidate for soul body interaction. Even if the soul does not exist, the formulation is still logically valid.
Irrelevant. Let's not jump the gun since all we have ever observed is matter-matter or matter-energy interactions when people move their hands. No body-soul interactions have been detected, yet.

So, let's find a point in the sequence of events of moving a hand that isn't explained by matter, energy, or as a result of a prior interaction of either and we can go from there.
 
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GrowingSmaller

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May be? The best you can come up with is that maybe if we have a soul than we might or might not be aware of it? You're proving the previous point that we can't seem to know anything at all about this elusive idea of souls.
I was asked or an example of awareness of a soul. Well if the soul exists, then self awareness seems to be a candidate.

Scientific hypotheses requite more than logical validity to be considered. That's what makes science superior to other methods when it come to learning about reality.
What about maths?
 
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GrowingSmaller

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There is as much evidence for invisible pink unicorns as there is for a soul. No evidence for certainly doesn't prove nonexistence, but there still isn't any reason to believe in something which has no evidence for it. There are an infinite number of non-testable ideas you can come up with: invisible pink unicorns, angels, souls, ghosts, etc. and none of them are at all convincing since there is no evidence that demonstrates or implies their existence.
I am not sure how we got dfrom a discussion about not knowing why mater interacts with matter according to certain laws, to discussions about IPUs.I am fully familiar with all that stuff, but would like to know why mattar behaves. That seems to be a mystery that needs explaining.
 
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GrowingSmaller

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We don't seem to be, though. Now, keep in mind that if there is a soul and this soul interacts with matter then, contrary to your prior guess, the soul could be empirically examined "under a microscope." If it can't be empirically detected, then we can't detect it period.


We can call consciousness anything we wan't but just because we change the name, doesn't make it any less physical than any other process of matter.


Irrelevant. Let's not jump the gun since all we have ever observed is matter-matter or matter-energy interactions when people move their hands. No body-soul interactions have been detected, yet.

So, let's find a point in the sequence of events of moving a hand that isn't explained by matter, energy, or as a result of a prior interaction of either and we can go from there.
Look I know thaere is not much evidence for the soul etc, but i would like to stay on another topic rather than be humiliated in a debate on the mind. Why does matter behave lawfully? Why does it not just breach "natural law" (e.g. gravitation) rather than obey rules?
 
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GrowingSmaller

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Because matter can´t reconcile disobedience with its conscience. :doh:
That won't do. It needs explainging. Why does an apple fall according to the law of gravitation rather than float? "Because it does" is not an explanation, it is just going round in circles. "Because gracity acts on it" presumes the reason gravity acts on it is because gravity acts on it. Anther circle. Now are you really saying that this question implies I am anthropomorphising?
 
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quatona

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That wont do. It needs explainging.
Well, I think there´s a time in life (when you are around 3 years old) to exhaustively explore "why?" questions and eventually learn that this technique only goes so far.
Why does an object fall according to the law of gravitation rather than float?
An object doesn´t fall because it obeys the law of gravitation. We observe mechanisms and call them "laws". We have found out why objects fall down instead of floating around. Gravitation theory explains it satisfactorily.
Now are you really saying that this question implies I am anthropomorphising?
No, I am saying that they are loaded with false premises.
 
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