Intellectual Entertainments

P. M. S. Hacker

Description

Eight dialogues on topics of perennial interest

'Intellectual Entertainments' consists of eight philosophical dialogues, each with five participants, some living, some imaginary and some dead. The dialogues take place either in Elysium or in an imaginary Oxford Common Room. Each historical figure speaks in his own idiom with a distinctive turn of phrase. The imaginary figures speak in the accent and idiom of their respective countries (English, Scottish, American, Australian). The themes are the nature of the mind and the relation between mind and body; the nature of consciousness and its demystification; the nature of thought and its relation to speech; and the objectivity or subjectivity of perceptual qualities such as colour, sound, smell, taste and warmth. Each participant presents a different point of view and defends his position against the arguments of the others. No philosophical knowledge is presupposed.

Preface; Acknowledgements; Section 1 Two Dialogues on Mind and Body; Introduction; First Dialogue On the Nature of the Mind; Second Dialogue The Mind and the Body; Section 2 Two Dialogues on Consciousness; Introduction; Third Dialogue The Mystery of Consciousness; Fourth Dialogue Consciousness as Experience – Consciousness as Life Itself; Section 3 A Dialogue on the Objectivity or Subjectivity of Perceptual Qualities; Introduction; Fifth Dialogue On the Objectivity or Subjectivity of Perceptual Qualities; Section 4 Two Dialogues on Thought; Introduction; Sixth Dialogue Thought; Seventh Dialogue Thought and Language; Section 5 A Dialogue on Ownership of Pain; Introduction; Eighth Dialogue Can You Have My Pain? Can Different People Have the Same Pain?

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Biology
• General officer
• Life science
• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Cognitive science
• General
• 454 Life Sciences
• Science
• Neurosciences

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 28 octobre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9781785271540
• Langue: English

Extrait

Intellectual Entertainments

Intellectual Entertainments
Eight Dialogues on Mind, Consciousness and Thought
P. M. S. Hacker
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
www.anthempress.com
This edition first published in UK and USA 2020
by ANTHEM PRESS
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or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK
and
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Copyright © P. M. S. Hacker 2020
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Library of Congress Control Number:2019949902
ISBN-13: 978-1-78527-152-6 (Hbk)
ISBN-10: 1-78527-152-0 (Hbk)
This title is also available as an e-book.
For Jonathan, Adam and Jocelyn
CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgements
Section 1 Two Dialogues on Mind and Body
Introduction
First Dialogue On the Nature of the Mind
A dialogue in Elysium between Aristotle, Descartes, Richard (an Oxford don), Jill (a philosopher) and Frank Craik (an American neuroscientist)

Second Dialogue The Mind and the Body
A further dialogue in Elysium between Alan White, Peter Strawson, Richard (an Oxford don), Jill (a philosopher) and Frank Craik (an American neuroscientist)

Section 2 Two Dialogues on Consciousness
Introduction
Third Dialogue The Mystery of Consciousness
A dialogue in Oxford between Bruce Palmer (an Australian philosopher), Christopher Cook (an American neuroscientist), Adam Blackstone (an Oxford don), Sandy MacPherson (a Scottish biologist) and a Viennese stranger

Fourth Dialogue Consciousness as Experience – Consciousness as Life Itself
A further dialogue in Oxford between Bruce Palmer (an Australian philosopher), Christopher Cook (an American neuroscientist), Adam Blackstone (an Oxford don), Jocelyn Thomas and a Viennese stranger
Section 3 A Dialogue on the Objectivity or Subjectivity of Perceptual Qualities
Introduction
Fifth Dialogue On the Objectivity or Subjectivity of Perceptual Qualities
A dialogue in Elysium between Socrates, Dr James Lockett (a pupil of Locke’s), Ronnie Freiberg (an American scientist), Timothy Swan (an Oxford professor of philosophy) and Thomas Roe (an Oxford undergraduate)

Section 4 Two Dialogues on Thought
Introduction
Sixth Dialogue Thought
A dialogue in Elysium between Socrates, John Locke, Frank (a neuroscientist), Paul (an Oxford don) and Alan (a Scottish post-doc)

Seventh Dialogue Thought and Language
A further dialogue in Elysium between Socrates, John Locke, Frank (a neuroscientist), Paul (an Oxford don) and Alan (a Scottish post-doc)

Section 5 A Dialogue on Ownership of Pain
Introduction
Eighth Dialogue Can You Have My Pain? Can Different People Have the Same Pain?
A dialogue in Elysium between Gottlob Frege, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Peter Strawson, Wolfgang Künne and John Searle
Preface
The dialogue is one of the oldest forms in which to present philosophical ideas and the lively clash of philosophical disputation. On the one hand, it allows the author, if he so pleases, to hide behind the characters he has created. More importantly, it permits him to present ideas with which he does not agree, with all the commitment and passion that their adherents feel. And it enables him to display how difficult it is to uproot received and deeply tempting ideas. On the other hand, it makes it possible for the audience to follow a lively debate, to hear the different views that have been advanced by various thinkers and to come to their own conclusion. Its primary function, however, is to stimulate thought and discussion among its readers and, if performed as a reading or dramatization, its listeners, by means of an imaginary discussion between protagonists advancing different views.
The following eight dialogues were written, as their title intimates, as intellectual entertainment. They were not written primarily with an academic readership in mind. On the contrary, they were written in order to go over the heads of professional academics and to reach the wider audience of those with an interest and curiosity in matters intellectual. There are, after all, few intelligent people who have not wondered about the nature of the mind and about the relation of the mind to the body, and who have not, from time to time, paused to reflect on the question of whether the mind is the same as the self, or whether the mind is identical with the brain. So the two dialogues on these subjects will, I hope, provide intellectual entertainment, and induce further reflection. In the present intellectual milieu, in which we are bombarded in press, radio and television with over-hasty news from cognitive neuroscience, it is difficult, even for the most thoughtful people, not to succumb to the enchantments of mysteries. For we are assailed by academics – in philosophy, psychology and cognitive neuroscience – eager to persuade us that consciousness is profoundly mysterious, and, moreover, that it is the last barrier to a fully scientific conception of the universe. The two dialogues on consciousness, its nature and its various forms were designed to provide food for thought and to show that the mysteries of consciousness are no more than mystifications in colourful and alluring pseudo-scientific clothing. As one of my characters remarks, ‘There are no mysteries’ could be the motto written on the coat of arms of Philosophy. The third major theme – the nature of thought, and hence too the relationship between thought and language, the question of what we think in and of whether neonates and animals can think – is a collection of inter-related conundrums that have perennially puzzled and bewildered thoughtful people. I trust that the two dialogues on these subjects will both amuse and provoke further thought.
Although these dialogues were not written for academic purposes, undergraduates studying philosophy may profit from reading them. They will not help students to pass their examinations, but they may stimulate them to think for themselves and to challenge academic orthodoxy. They may also provide a good basis for discussions in classrooms at schools where philosophy is taught.
The protagonists in the eight dialogues often include august dead philosophers. Socrates, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Frege, Wittgenstein, Alan White and Peter Strawson all appear in one or more of the dialogues. With the exception of Socrates and White, the views given by them in my dialogues are for the most part theirs, and their words are often quotations or paraphrased quotations from their writings and letters. I have endeavoured not to put into their mouths any judgement that they would not, to the best of my knowledge, have accepted. On the other hand, I have not aimed at perfectly accurate representations of their views, only of their points of view – for these are imaginary dialogues, not philosophical records, and the protagonists are shades or shadows of the real philosophers. Nevertheless, I have also tried, as best I could, to emulate their manner of writing, their orthography, the forms of their ‘white noise’ in correspondence, and their styles of abuse, condescension and self-reference. My imaginary characters serve various purposes – to represent a standard viewpoint of one kind or another, to be a foil for another character and to fulfil the role of an intelligent but philosophically naïve person. In the introductions to the different dialogues or pairs of dialogues, I have commented on some of the imaginary characters more specifically.
I have peppered each of the dialogues with endnotes. These are not meant to be consulted while reading the dialogue, for that would disrupt the flow of conversation. They are there for two purposes. Notes to remarks by specific historical figures serve to guide the reader to the texts from which some of the statements are derived. Notes to remarks made by my imaginary characters, especially my cognitive neuroscientists and wayward philosophers, are given to assure the reader that some of the weird and wonderful things said by my imaginary characters are not the products of my fevered mind, but are actually the views of distinguished men of science (and philosophers) of recent decades.
In each section, at the end of the first dialogue, I have appended a very brief reading list for those who might wish to pursue matters further. I have referred to writings of mine that elaborate some of the views cursorily discussed in the dialogue, and to two or three works of others that I have found particularly helpful, interesting or relevant to the dialogue.
Acknowledgements
I began writing these dialogues largely for my own amusement and the entertainment of my friends. They joined in the fun. They gave me much encouragement, as well as copious comments and corrections that have improved the text. I am indebted to Hanoch Ben-Yami, John Cottingham, Parashkev Nachev, Hans Oberdiek, Herman Philipse, the late Dan Robinson, Amit Saad and David Wiggins for reading and commenting upon the draft di