Dawkins on the Mind / Body Problem

Dualism is rejected by Dawkins, a scientific naturalist whom as an atheist does not believe in the metaphysical. Rather as a materialistic monist, Dawkins believes that the mind is merely a product of the body, and thus since it is not a distinct substance, cannot exist separate from the body. In fact he believes that the mind isn't what makes a person at all, but rather genes and memes. Genes and memes cannot exist separately of the physical world, but rather rely on physical things to propagate them, so that they can be carried on into future generations. If all the carriers of a gene or meme were to die, the particular gene or meme would cease to exist. Because genes and memes rely on physical things, they are not immortal entities, and thus when someone dies, nothing immortal or immaterial survives them, this includes the mind. Thus since the mind is a product of the body, there is no need to explain the problem of how the mind and body interact.

or

Dawkins is a monist, believing that humans are essentially physical beings. As an evolutionary biologist, Dawkins explains everything in terms of evolution. Dawkins rejected any idea of the soul. According to Dawkins, the soul or idea of the soul is ‘dangerous to human endeavour’, and it is a restrictive and inappropriate thing to believe in. He believes in a world that is entirely physical, rather than metaphysical. His view is that human beings are just carriers of DNA, and that any opposition to this was a myth supported by no evidence. He claimed that if an individual felt a sense of individuality or that they had a soul; it was just their thoughts based on digital information. He argued that consciousness, and an idea of the self, ‘arises when the brain’s simulation of the world becomes so complete that it must include a model of itself’. Dawkins disregarded the opposing idea that we are mental, rather than physical beings, claiming the soul to be a non-existent ‘mystic-jelly’. He believed that there was no possibility of an afterlife, and that all was left of us once we died was genes, and his invention memes which he used to describe the continuance of ideas, inventions and cultures.

or

Another monism concept which does not have an issue with the relationship between mind and body was presented by Dawkins. He explained that what we understand as a mind is really an activity of the body. The mind simply arises as a result of the body’s interaction with the world. The world is only physical matter and there is no other “mystic jelly” or “spirit driven life force” that controls our actions. We are simply carriers of DNA so there is no mind and there is no soul that continues to exits after death. Although we as humans feel that there is a mind and a driving force behind our actions this is simply a misunderstanding. Dawkins outlines our consciousness as arising when our view of the world becomes so complex that it has to involve a model of ourselves. He argued that the mind is only a property of the body so it has no individuality and is not a separate substance. The world and humans exist because of evolution and natural selection so there is no God and a soul that returns to him after death. He argued that the soul is “dangerous to human endeavour”. As only the body exists, the only thing left after our life has ended is genes and memes. Dawkins explained that there is no need to argue that there is a relationship between mind and body as body is the only thing that exists. The mind is a property of the body so it is only one substance. This therefore argues against this claim that the relationship cannot be explained as Dawkins believes that he has explained that the body doesn’t interact with something which does not exist.

IS THE EYE DESIGNED?

Yes it is designed - Michael Behe

Michael Behe claims that science can only go so far in explaining how organisms develop over time. He argues Darwin’s theory is weakened when he is asked to explain how something as complex as an eye is created by natural selection. (Even Darwin himself thought that this was a tricky one)

Behe uses the term ‘irreducible complexity’ to explain parts of nature which can’t be explained by evolution. An eye consist of many different features that form a process of sensation. The components have no use of their own without each other – so, when they evolved separately, the question is WHY did they evolve? How did they help their owner SURVIVE? They were of no value until they came together.

Michael Behe believes the only way that the eye is possible is if it all was designed/made whole at the start and didn’t go through evolution. He claims the eye is like a mouse trap - if any of the components of the trap was missing, the trap wouldn’t work. The components work in harmony with each other like this because a designer wanted it to be this way. This is same with a human eye if a part was removed the eye wouldn’t work and would be pointless. This concludes Behe’s point that the evolutionary theory fails to explain about how such amazing structures like an eye exist.

Summary: Behe argued the eye is far too complex to be made by evolution and purely random mutations, as all parts of the eye work together in perfect sync to function. Therefore there must be someone who has designed this (God).

“A single system which is composed of several interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, and where the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning”

THE EYE IS NOT DESIGNED

 

However, Richard Dawkins argues against Behe, saying that the eye went through multiple small changes throughout thousands of years. He pointed out that Behe was viewing each stage of evolution as being one massive step, whereas Dawkins believes that each stage of evolution is one tiny little step generation by generation. He began saying how the eye started out as a light sensitive cell, so the organism was able to tell when it was day or night. As the generations went on, the creature began to develop a cone around the light sensitive cells, allowing the organism to see where the light was coming from. As the cone grew through the generations, the organism’s ability to see where the light was coming from increased. It got to a point where the cone only had a small hole which allowed the light sensitive cells to see precisely where the light was coming from and to see a very rough image of their surroundings. He then went on saying how the eye began to grow lenses over their eyes to allow the hole to be protected and to have a more precise image. Dawkins also stated that this happened with many different organisms in many different ways. He used a Swedish scientist’s prediction, what was gained through computer analysis, for how long this would take. It would take roughly 220,000 years which, although is a long time for us, is a very small time for how long the world and the universe is.

Summary: He believes that the eye was created from the process of evolution over millions of years through natural selection. This is possible because the eye formed over such a long period of time that there were ‘baby steps’ towards the production of a fully functioning eye. This started by one mutation which caused the species to see slight light/movement and as this gave them a huge advantage this mutated gene survived (naturally selected) and was passed down generations eventually evolving so much the full eye was formed.

Bits of Dawkins

- Dawkins: Identity doesn’t survive death; the only part of us that “lives” on is genes and memes.

- Dawkins: Richard Dawkins would definitely argue that disembodied consciousness is impossible. He believes that the mind is not a separate entity, but instead a physical process that the body performs when our brain’s model of the world becomes so complete that it needs to include itself.

- Dawkins: Dawkins would say that the mind is just a physical process the body performs, and that it is not an ontologically distinct substance. He said that there is no “mystic jelly” driving us around, and that belief in the mind is a “dangerous myth”, as no scientific evidence supports it.

- Dawkins: As a physicalist, Dawkins would say that the mind is reducible to physical processes. He would say that we are completely physical, because the mind is just a process the body performs and is therefore not a separate substance. We are simply just bodies; there is no “mystic jelly”.

Dawkins (mind) – Dawkins was a monist who believed that the mind and body are not ontologically distinct. Dawkins believed that the mind is a product of the body and it is something the body does. Therefore as humans are no ontologically distinct, once dead, we will remain dead, as the mind is simply digital information.

Dawkins (body) – Dawkins was a monist who believed that the mind and body are not ontologically distinct. Dawkins further believes that once dead we remain dead, however believes that out genes and memes survive the death of our body.

Dawkins (personality/memories) – once dead we remain dead, yet our genes and memes live on.

1. Describe what Dawkins believes about the body in 50 words.

Richard Dawkins is a physicalist and so believes everything is reducible to physical processes, this means as a whole we are just a body with a brain and nothing more. Dawkins believes that our body dies and decays and the only thing that does live on is our genetic code.

2. Describe what Dawkins believes about the mind in 49 words.

Dawkins believes there is no such thing as a mind and it is not ontologically distinct from our body it is just digital information that describes what bodies do. The mind is not some mystical jelly that lives on after death and there’s no scientific evidence to believe so.

3. Describe what Dawkins believes about our self identity in 16 words.

It doesn’t live on in but memories of who we were may be remembered through others.

4. Describe what Dawkins believes about our disembodied consciousness in 45 words.

Dawkins believes there is no scientific evidence to suggest that we have some sort of mysterious, immaterial and eternal consciousness that lives on after death. Believing such things is dangerous to the human endeavour and can stop us as humans moving on as a species.

Dawkins on the mind – Dawkins believes that there is no such thing as a mind, or as it is sometimes referred to as the soul. However, he also states that the mind is just something the body does. Dawkins refers to the mind as mystical jelly, as he believes it just floats around. He’s a physicalist.

Dawkins on the body – Dawkins is a physicalist, which means he believes in the physical body being the main substance. As he is an atheist, he doesn’t believe that the mind lives on, but the physical body dies. Dawkins also says that we are carriers of genes and memes, which are memories.

Dawkins on self identity – Dawkins believes that our self identity dies with the body as there’s no personality in the mind.

Dawkins on disembodied consciousness – Dawkins believes that the mind is just something a body does, and this doesn’t make us, any more aware of the world around us than other animals. He believes that once the physical body dies, nothing is left behind as he calls the mind “mystical jelly”

Dawkins: When we die, our personality dies but our genes (genetic code) and memes, (ideas), survive us.

.Dawkins: He says there's no "spirit-driven life force, no throbbing, heaving, pullulating, protoplasmic mystic jelly", meaning there is no soul within us. Belief in the soul is "dangerous to human endeavour" This is because there's no physical evidence. It's just a bronze age myth.

DAWKINS -> MIND

Dawkins a 21st century monist thinks that belief in the mind or soul is dangerous myths that have no evidence to support them. He compared the mind to 'mystic jelly' inferring that there is no mysterious mind. To conclude the mind is just digital information, reducible to physical processes

DAWKINS -> BODY

Dawkins is a physicalist who believes everything is reducible to physical processes. He believes we are simply carriers of DNA and that mind and body are not separable. The mind is just a way of describing what bodies do. When our bodies die our genes and memes survive

DAWKINS -> SELF-IDENTITY

A sense of individuality is based on digital information, not the soul. We leave memes behind

DAWKINS -> SELF-AWARENESS

Dawkins is a evolutionary biologist who believes everything is reducible to physical processes. He rejected the idea of a soul or a 'mystic' mind. He believed the mind or consciousness arises when the brain's stimulation is so complete that it includes a model of itself

Dawkins – Self Identity
Dawkins believes that our self identity dies with the body

Dawkins – Disembodied Consciousness
Dawkins believes that when we die we are not conscious of things around us, because we are just simply carriers of DNA, and that we have no eternal soul. The only things we leave behind are genes and memes, the soul is just “mystical jelly.”

Dawkins – Mind
Dawkins believes that there is no such thing as the mind or as it sometimes referred to, as the soul. However he also states that the mind is just something the body doe. Dawkins refers to the mind as mystical jelly, as he believes it just floats around. He’s a physicalist.

Dawkins – Body
Dawkins is a physicalist, which means he believes in the physical body being the main substance. As he is an atheist, he doesn’t believe that the mind lives on, but the physical body dies. Dawkins also says that we are carriers of memes and genes, which are memories.

Dawkins on Consciousness - Dawkins believes that the conscience (which is the inner component of the human body showing awareness) dies at the same time as the body and will simply not continue to remain after the event of death. Similar to his concept of the personality, he states that it is not an immediate part of the human body that remains.

Dawkins on Personality - Richard Dawkins believe that the personality of a human body will certainly die in the event of death. He brands the personality as unexplainable (or to a certain degree) as the mind - which he entitles "Mystic Jelly". Similar to a Cartesian view, he appears vague with regards to after death.

Descartes on Consciousness - Descartes wholeheartedly believes that the consciousness (an awareness of the world around us) lives on past death and that it will continue to live on. Regardless of this statement, Descartes is quite vague with regards to what happens after. He mentions that this crucial awareness will most certainly remain past the event of the death of a body.

Dawkins on Body - Richard Dawkins believes that the body is a massively important part of life. We should trust in the body since, unlike the body, mind and soul, we have empirical evidence to prove we have one. He states that the body is the main component in life and that it will certainly not live on past death since we are witness to its falling and we can be certain of this. The body works mechanically and systematically and will fulfil its purpose of keeping us alive, its nature can be determined easily and therefore, it is the strongest representation of human

Dawkins

Dualism is rejected by Dawkins, a scientific naturalist whom as an atheist does not believe in the metaphysical. Rather as a materialistic monist, Dawkins believes that the mind is merely a product of the body, and thus since it is not a distinct substance, cannot exist separate from the body. In fact he believes that the mind isn't what makes a person at all, but rather genes and memes. Genes and memes cannot exist separately of the physical world, but rather rely on physical things to propagate them, so that they can be carried on into future generations. If all the carriers of a gene or meme were to die, the particular gene or meme would cease to exist. Because genes and memes rely on physical things, they are not immortal entities, and thus when someone dies, nothing immortal or immaterial survives them, this includes the mind. Thus since the mind is a product of the body, there is no need to explain the problem of how the mind and body interact. This is a problem for Cartesian Dualism, since other animals other than humans have pineal glands, yet Descartes believed only humans have souls. Nor does he explain properly how the immaterial soul is meant to interact with the material pineal gland, nor properly justify why it is the pineal gland which does this. This is something Dawkins has no problem with, since he uses science to help explain how he appears to have a mind.

or

Dawkins is a monist, believing that humans are essentially physical beings. As an evolutionary biologist, Dawkins explains everything in terms of evolution. Dawkins rejected any idea of the soul. According to Dawkins, the soul or idea of the soul is ‘dangerous to human endeavour’, and it is a restrictive and inappropriate thing to believe in. He believes in a world that is entirely physical, rather than metaphysical. His view is that human beings are just carriers of DNA, and that any opposition to this was a myth supported by no evidence. He claimed that if an individual felt a sense of individuality or that they had a soul; it was just their thoughts based on digital information. He argued that consciousness, and an idea of the self, ‘arises when the brain’s simulation of the world becomes so complete that it must include a model of itself’. Dawkins disregarded the opposing idea that we are mental, rather than physical beings, claiming the soul to be a non-existent ‘mystic-jelly’. He believed that there was no possibility of an afterlife, and that all was left of us once we died was genes, and his invention memes which he used to describe the continuance of ideas, inventions and cultures.

or

Another monism concept which does not have an issue with the relationship between mind and body was presented by Dawkins. Dawkins explained that what we understand as a mind is simply an “emergent property” of the body. The mind simply arises as a result of the body’s interaction with the world. The world is only physical matter and there is no other “mystic jelly” or “spirit driven life force” that controls our actions. We are simply carriers of DNA so there is no mind and there is no soul that continues to exits after death. Although we as humans feel that there is a mind and a driving force behind our actions this is simply a misunderstanding. Dawkins outlines our consciousness as arising when our view of the world becomes so complex that it has to involve a model of ourselves. He argued that the mind is only a property of the body so it has no individuality and is not a separate substance. The world and humans exist because of evolution and natural selection so there is no God and a soul that returns to him after death. He argued that the soul is “dangerous to human endeavour”. As only the body exists, the only thing left after our life has ended is genes and memes. Dawkins explained that there is no need to argue that there is a relationship between mind and body as body is the only thing that exists. The mind is a property of the body so it is only one substance. This therefore argues against this claim that the relationship cannot be explained as Dawkins believes that he has explained that the body doesn’t interact with something which does not exist.

Richard Dawkins

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