Where Does Your Mind Reside?: Crash Course Philosophy #22

Today we continue our unit on identity by asking where the mind resides. Hank explains the mind-body problem and several approaches to the question of where our minds reside, including reductive physicalism, substance dualism, and mysterianism.

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[mandydax]

I have a friend who is color blind. She recently got a pair of special glasses that allow her to perceive differences in color that she was previously unable to. Her first few weeks were filled with exclamations about how the clouds are pink during a sunset and please tell me what color this flower is, e.g. She understood color, she understood that others had a wider experience of color, but until she was able to distinguish pink clouds from yellowish clouds, she didn't know what seeing a full color spectrum was like. That knowledge and the experience of gaining it were quite literally a wonderful thing for her.

[channelmincrft]

"If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't."
--Lyall Watson

[CBGBBB]

If I had a hole in my head and lost an eyeball I guess I'd be pretty pissed off as well

[Yonnickh]

When you walk into a room, this is called roomism

[WiseWik]

"Our brains just don't have a compartment that can piece together those different modes of evidence." My mind has been blown once again. Thanks Hank, can't wait for the next one!

[KazMe]

I would also change my attitude if I got a freaking rod through my body.

[shamsnoor]

When Mary saw color for the first time, didn't her brain form images from light rays reflected on her retina which is essentially a physical process? Doesn't that mean any new information she receives is also physical and hence the knowledge she was lacking had nothing to do with dualism?

[g.b.]

I've been binge watching Crash Course Philosophy. Im so confused now.

[bethduffus]

Well done Crash Course. This in an incredible amount of philosophy to pack into nine minutes. Loving this series.

[Redflowers]

The mind body problem was the first philosophical thought I ever stumbled across as a teenager. It just struck me one day like why do I need to be aware of myself and this body, when I'm not aware of being anyone else and their body, and yet they can live pretty much just as well?

[JM-ztvq]

Learning everything there is to know about something but never experiencing it.. Sounds like my sex life.

[oli.]

This was the most intriguing episode yet. I have never been able to come to an answer through my own reflection but after seeing this I kind of lean towards the solution of mysterianism.

[GustavoValdiviesso]

This course is one of the best thing ever made on YouTube, probably on the whole web. I put it side by side with Cosmos. Thank you Hank Green for making me starter every day.

[StainedShuriken]

Sometimes, I like to lie down in my neighbor's yard and pretend that I'm a carrot.

[ralphwang]

"Everything psychological is simultaneously biological" -Hank Green, Crash Course Psychology

[marumakoto]

I love how you explain things so simply with humor! More power!

[TGC]

I used to watch Yu-Gi-Oh... I think most of them were duelists. ;-)

[abracadabra]

I'm a physicalist and a therapist. Something I find interesting is that folks easily attribute medication to changing brain chemistry, but they often feel the work we do (talking through problems, changing behaviors to change feelings, etc) is working on the mind. This distinction has always seemed odd to me. Sure, my arm muscle will get bigger if I eat spinach, but it will also get bigger if I flex it repeatedly. I am in the business of brain workouts... lol. This may not be a perfect comparison, but when you practice use of a new neural pathway (change your thoughts), you are changing the composition of your brain... A mind is unnecessary in my work. The distinction simply seems like cognitive dissonance to me- doc works on my brain, therapist on my mind... It's an unwarranted distinction.

[michaeljamespitt]

i watched all these videos for the philosophy section of my a-level religious studies course, but still every now and then come back to them, these videos are awesome and stimulate one’s mind in a wonderful manner, thankyou

[exoforlife]

My philosopy teacher needs to watch ur vidios so that she can learn how to TEACH