MONISM VS DUALISM & PSYCHIATRY 2/4 DENNET & SEARLE

http://www.NiallMcLaren.com
Niall McLaren- Psychiatrist and author of 'Humanizing Madness', 'Humanizing Psychiatry' and 'Humanizing Psychiatrists'.

An explanation of the failures of the major monist models of mind in terms of their value for biological psychiatry. Daniel Dennett's functionalism and John Searles' biological naturalism are not monist at all, they are actually closet dualist theories in that the authors have retained the properties of a dualist model of mind even though they have given them different names. This is of major significance for biological psychiatry as there is now no possible explanation of mental disorder in a biological model.

Note: This is a lecture taken from my paper due out soon "Monist Models...." and from the first chapters of my new book 'Humanizing Psychiatrists.'
If you want to learn more you can find links to my books on
http://www.NiallMcLaren.com
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Books (Amazon.com)
http://www.amazon.com/Humanizing-Madness-Psychiatry-Cognitive-Neurosciences/d...
http://www.amazon.com/Humanizing-Psychiatry-Biocognitive-Niall-McLaren/dp/161...
http://www.amazon.com/Humanizing-Psychiatrists-Toward-Humane-Psychiatry/dp/16...

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• biological
• psychiatry
• Dennett
• Searle
• McLaren
• monist
• monism
• dualist
• dualism
• philosophy
• mind
• science
• psychology
• medicine

[HecklerBoy7]

Mr. Mclaren, are you familiar with hylemorphic dualism? It seems to me to be the best approach in explaining mental states like intentionality.

[jockmclaren47]

@HecklerBoy7 I am but it doesn't interest me much as it has been used to justify magic spirits. There are interesting elements in it and it would justify a critical review in line with modern concepts of information processing. Are you busy...? 

[HecklerBoy7]

@jockmclaren47 Hi sir. Actually, I don't know how hylemorphic dualism can justify magic spirits --that will seem to be more in line with cartesian notions of dualism. I invite you to delve into aristotelian thomistic philosophy. Only then will you be able to better understand hylemorphic dualism. It's a notion of body and mind that has been consistently misunderstood by even the philosophers of mind who should know better. A deeper understanding of aristotelian metaphysics is needed,

[jockmclaren47]

@HecklerBoy7 See this: Oderberg, David: Hylemorphic dualism From: “PERSONAL IDENTITY”

Edited by Ellen Frankel Paul, Fred D. Miller, Jr., and Jeffrey Paul, cambridge UNIVERSITY PRESS esp. Pt 7.

[markovitch57]

Unless - possibly - you are already familiar with that relationship and are claiming that computer programs and virtual machines belong in another world along with numbers and triangles - and Plato!?

[markovitch57]

The task of understanding is very much easier for us now than it was 100 years ago. All you need to do is a beginners course in programming - on your very own computer - and maybe read a bit about hardware to make it more real - so you understand - or can at least imagine- the whole chain of events when you - for instance - write your blog - or lose at chess to a computer.

[markovitch57]

Unless you do - at least make an effort to understand such a basic term as virtual machine - I, for one, will continue to assume that you are much more interested in looking away from uncomfortable newly revealed truths and probably even making a living at aiding others to do so also? I can believe there is a market!

[markovitch57]

One thing that you will need to do (if interested?) to start understanding Dennett - is to become familiar with the surprising relationship between computer program and computer hardware. I say surprising - because it genuinely was/is. Only 100 years ago it was the domain of a very few esoteric mathematicians - and who of them imagined where that would lead to - and it's only just started!

[markovitch57]

I know that - to our western judeo-christian psyche - the discovery of DNA and the mechanistic nature of the body - including the brain - is fundamentally disturbing in many ways and can easily feel like just another horrendous blow after believing that we were designed in the image of God and only very recently discovering that we are descended from apes!

[dashpowers22]

@TheApollo81 If you want to explain consciousness, you can't take it as basic. Simple. If you don't want to explain consciousness, then take it as basic. I don't care. What is the point of your comment?