The Mind-Body Problem
1) The Body is a Physical Thing
2) The Mind is a Non-Physical Thing
3) The Mind and the Body Causally Effect One Another
4) Non-Physical Things Cannot Causally Effect Physical Things
All of the above statements cannot be true. Which do you believe is false?
I believe that statement 4 is false. Personally, I need the other 3 statements.
I believe that I have a certain...Kevin-ness... that makes me, me. If I lose my arm, am I still me? Yes. If I lose my legs, am I still me? Yes. What if I lose my whole body, am I still me? I believe that the answer is still yes. Call it a soul, call it consciousness, call it "ghost in the machine," call it whatever, but I believe it exists. So I need statement 2.
I believe that my mind and body can interact with each other. I believe that the "kevin-ness" makes command decisions for my body, and those decisions are carried out by my body. I also believe that my body can alter my mind. For example, drugs. Although I have never personally tried it, I *know* that physical drugs can induce altered mental states. I believe that these altered mental states can effect the "kevin-ness" A good example of this would be drunkeness. Anyway, I need statement 3.
I don't know that the physical world exists. I don't know that my physical body exists. But I believe that they do. So I need statement 1.
The only reason to believe statement 4 is because science says that it is impossible. I know that scientists have been wrong in the past, and I don't really need statement 4 to fit with my preconceived world-view, so I'm going with statement 4 to be false.
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3 comments:
No, the mind-body problem has nothing to do with Zen. It is strictly a general philosophy problem. A zen master would probably say that all four statements are false.
What fun is this if you agree with me?
I am certainly not a Zen master, so I cannot exactly know what his answer would be.
I know that the esscence of most Zen is emptiness, relativisim, and non-attatchment. So I figured that all four statements are too definitive for a Zen master to agree with them.
Maybe a better answer from a Zen master could be, "who cares?"
I don't know, Zen is hard to put into words.
Elephant and Flea
Roshi Kapleau agreed to educate a group of psychoanalysts about Zen. After being introduced to the group by the director of the analytic institute, the Roshi quietly sat down upon a cushion placed on the floor. A student entered, prostrated before the master, and then seated himself on another cushion a few feet away, facing his teacher. "What is Zen?" the student asked. The Roshi produced a banana, peeled it, and started eating. "Is that all? Can't you show me anything else?" the student said. "Come closer, please," the master replied. The student moved in and the Roshi waved the remaining portion of the banana before the student's face. The student prostrated, and left.
A second student rose to address the audience. "Do you all understand?" When there was no response, the student added, "You have just witnessed a first-rate demonstration of Zen. Are there any questions?"
After a long silence, someone spoke up. "Roshi, I am not satisfied with your demonstration. You have shown us something that I am not sure I understand. It must be possible to TELL us what Zen is."
"If you must insist on words," the Roshi replied, "then Zen is an elephant copulating with a flea."
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