Tbe heart of most replies to the argument from reason is that a mental event can have both a mental and a physical cause. There are problems with that idea.
A preliminary, immediate reaction: Is expression in terms of causes the best approach? It is certainly not a necessary approach. Thinking in terms of causes is undoubtedly a useful initial perspective. However, thoughts in terms of causes are blunt instruments. More trenchant is thinking in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions. A multiplicity of necessary conditions can be required before a sufficient condition can be attained, and thinking in terms of such contributing factors has a greater likelihood of being significantly more informative than is thinking conducted simply in terms of causes. Human mental abilities evolve/develop. Is the heart of the issue what causes that development, or is the issue best approached in terms of what factors affect and effect that development?
A preliminary, immediate reaction: Is expression in terms of causes the best approach? It is certainly not a necessary approach. Thinking in terms of causes is undoubtedly a useful initial perspective. However, thoughts in terms of causes are blunt instruments. More trenchant is thinking in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions. A multiplicity of necessary conditions can be required before a sufficient condition can be attained, and thinking in terms of such contributing factors has a greater likelihood of being significantly more informative than is thinking conducted simply in terms of causes. Human mental abilities evolve/develop. Is the heart of the issue what causes that development, or is the issue best approached in terms of what factors affect and effect that development?
ReplyDeleteI feel that materialism in intuitively bunk.
ReplyDeleteThat should take care of any progressive arguments to the contrary.