Mental Events and Physical Events

MENTAL EVENTS

JJC Smart's favorite example of a mental event: seeing an after image.

Stare at the white cross for 35 seconds. Then look at the white board.
http://www.optical-illusionist.com/illusions/butterfly-afterimage

PHYSICAL EVENTS

ARE ALL MENTAL EVENTS (QUANTITATIVELY) IDENTICAL TO PHYSICAL EVENTS?

1. Quantitatively identical--like Superman is identical to Clark Kent.  There's one person, not two.
2. Qualitatively identical--like identical twins are identical to each other. There are two people, but they are very much alike.

SUBSTANCE DUALISM

Mental events are NOT identical to physical events, but rather, occur in a non-physical soul. (Descartes's view)

PHYSICALISM

Mental events ARE identical to physical events, and occur in the brain. (JJC Smart's view)

ARGUMENTS

On the board....