Lost Souls: The Philosophic Origins Of A Cultural Dilemma Project Muse Upcc Books

Annotation Lost Souls examines the origins and consequences of the philosophic idea that mind and body are distinct. The author traces mind-body dualism from Plato, Plotinus, Augustine, and Proclus through Descartes and Kant to Nietzsche, Heidegger, Carnap, and Quine. Mind's separation from body has dominated philosophic thinking for millennia, yet most mental activities are now explained in physical terms. What are the implications if mind is material and mortal? Considering both philosophic and scientific ideas about mind, David Weissman explores our options. Rejecting the claim that the character and existence of other things are an effect of the ways we think about or perceive them, he reexamines such topics as meaning and truth, human significance, self, and society. He argues that philosophers have the rare opportunity to renew inquiry by invoking the questions that once directed them: What are we? What is our place in the world? What concerns are appropriate to being here? Lost Souls......Page 4 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 1. The Line......Page 20 A. Plotinus......Page 23 B. Augustine and Proclus......Page 29 A. Knowledge versus Belief......Page 30 A. Imaginings and Material Particulars Merged as Empirical Differences......Page 31 B. Forms Replaced by Geometricals......Page 32 D. The Line Ensouled......Page 33 4. The Equivocal Status of God and Space: The Richer and Leaner Theories......Page 34 5. Skepticism......Page 37 6. Descartes’ Sources......Page 38 A. Epistemic and Ontological Foundationalism......Page 42 B. Mind’s Structure......Page 46 2. Self-knowledge......Page 48 3. A Priori Intelligibility......Page 50 4. The Geometrical Character of the Physical......Page 53 5. The Self-valorizing Ego......Page 55 A. Existence......Page 56 C. Mind as Thinking Substance......Page 57 D. A Hierarchy of Mutually-Conditioning Orders......Page 58 E. Which is Prior: Ideas or Percepts?......Page 60 F. Ideas Construed as Rules......Page 61 G. Meaning......Page 62 H. Truth......Page 63 I. Modalities......Page 64 J. Will......Page 65 K. Value......Page 67 4. Descartes’ Heirs: Ontological Foundationalism and “The End of Western Metaphysics”......Page 70 1. Kant......Page 71 2. Kant in Our Time......Page 76 A. Romantic Kantians: Nietzsche and Heidegger......Page 77 B. Analytic Kantians: Carnap and Quine......Page 83 3. What is Philosophy?......Page 91 4. Response......Page 93 1. Mind’s Reduction to Body......Page 96 A. What is the Hypothesis Refuted?......Page 98 B. What Conceptual Features Make Dualism Suspect?......Page 99 C. What Empirical Evidence Refutes Descartes’ Claim?......Page 100 D. Is the Alleged Refutation a Methodological Error?......Page 105 3. Consequences of the Refutation......Page 107 1. Disputed Questions......Page 112 A. Mind’s Knowledge of Itself: Introspection, Behaviorism, or Inference?......Page 114 B. Experience: Schematization and Inspection, or Interaction?......Page 115 C. Ideas: Innate or Acquired?......Page 117 D. Meaning......Page 118 E. Thought......Page 122 F. Truth: Identity, Coherence, or Correspondence?......Page 125 G. Knowledge: Intuition and Demonstration, or a Network of Hypotheses?......Page 129 H. Does Mind Prescribe or Investigate the Features of Things?......Page 133 I. Space and Time: Forms of Intuition or Spacetime?......Page 137 J. Freestanding Mind, or an Array of Causally-related Bodies or Systems?......Page 138 K. Freedom or Determinism?......Page 139 L. Control or Accommodation?......Page 140 M. Egoism or Sociality?......Page 141 N. Human Significance......Page 148 2. An Altered Focus......Page 149 1. Intelligibility: Are Thought and Language Autonomous?......Page 160 2. Mind as Foundational: Culture......Page 169 3. Self......Page 173 4. The Good......Page 178 Afterword......Page 186 1. Plato’s Divided Line......Page 188 2. Descartes’ Revisions of the Line......Page 190 3. Consequences......Page 193 4. Descartes’ Heirs: Ontological Foundationalism and “The End of Western Metaphysics”......Page 197 5. The Cogito’s Demise......Page 202 6. Churning......Page 205 7. Ideas to Reformulate and Save......Page 210 B......Page 214 D......Page 215 E......Page 216 G......Page 217 I......Page 218 L......Page 219 M......Page 220 O......Page 221 P......Page 222 S......Page 223 T......Page 224 W......Page 225 Lost Souls 4 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 12 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction 16 1. Plato’s Divided Line 20 1. The Line 20 2. The Line’s Transmission 23 A. Plotinus 23 B. Augustine and Proclus 29 2. Descartes’ Revisions of the Line 30 1. Platonic Themes 30 A. Knowledge versus Belief 30 B. Mind-Body Dualism 31 2. Four Alterations: Descartes Amends Plato’s Figure in These Critical Ways 31 A. Imaginings and Material Particulars Merged as Empirical Differences 31 B. Forms Replaced by Geometricals 32 C. The Cogito Substituted for the Good 33 D. The Line Ensouled 33 3. The Line Redrawn with Descartes’ Emendations 34 4. The Equivocal Status of God and Space: The Richer and Leaner Theories 34 5. Skepticism 37 6. Descartes’ Sources 38 3. Consequences 42 1. Foundationalism 42 A. Epistemic and Ontological Foundationalism 42 B. Mind’s Structure 46 2. Self-knowledge 48 3. A Priori Intelligibility 50 4. The Geometrical Character of the Physical 53 5. The Self-valorizing Ego 55 6. Descartes’ Legacy 56 A. Existence 56 B. God 57 C. Mind as Thinking Substance 57 D. A Hierarchy of Mutually-Conditioning Orders 58 E. Which is Prior: Ideas or Percepts? 60 F. Ideas Construed as Rules 61 G. Meaning 62 H. Truth 63 I. Modalities 64 J. Will 65 K. Value 67 4. Descartes’ Heirs: Ontological Foundationalism and “The End of Western Metaphysics” 70 1. Kant 71 2. Kant in Our Time 76 A. Romantic Kantians: Nietzsche and Heidegger 77 B. Analytic Kantians: Carnap and Quine 83 3. What is Philosophy? 91 4. Response 93 5. The Cogito’s Demise 96 1. Mind’s Reduction to Body 96 2. Diagnosis: A Philosophical Theory Empirically Refuted 98 A. What is the Hypothesis Refuted? 98 B. What Conceptual Features Make Dualism Suspect? 99 C. What Empirical Evidence Refutes Descartes’ Claim? 100 D. Is the Alleged Refutation a Methodological Error? 105 3. Consequences of the Refutation 107 6. Churning 112 1. Disputed Questions 112 A. Mind’s Knowledge of Itself: Introspection, Behaviorism, or Inference? 114 B. Experience: Schematization and Inspection, or Interaction? 115 C. Ideas: Innate or Acquired? 117 D. Meaning 118 E. Thought 122 F. Truth: Identity, Coherence, or Correspondence? 125 G. Knowledge: Intuition and Demonstration, or a Network of Hypotheses? 129 H. Does Mind Prescribe or Investigate the Features of Things? 133 I. Space and Time: Forms of Intuition or Spacetime? 137 J. Freestanding Mind, or an Array of Causally-related Bodies or Systems? 138 K. Freedom or Determinism? 139 L. Control or Accommodation? 140 M. Egoism or Sociality? 141 N. Human Significance 148 2. An Altered Focus 149 7. Ideas to Reformulate and Save 160 1. Intelligibility: Are Thought and Language Autonomous? 160 2. Mind as Foundational: Culture 169 3. Self 173 4. The Good 178 Afterword 186 Notes 188 Introduction 188 1. Plato’s Divided Line 188 2. Descartes’ Revisions of the Line 190 3. Consequences 193 4. Descartes’ Heirs: Ontological Foundationalism and “The End of Western Metaphysics” 197 5. The Cogito’s Demise 202 6. Churning 205 7. Ideas to Reformulate and Save 210 Index 214 A 214 B 214 C 215 D 215 E 216 F 217 G 217 H 218 I 218 J 219 K 219 L 219 M 220 N 221 O 221 P 222 Q 223 R 223 S 223 T 224 V 225 W 225

weissman (philosophy, City College Of New York) Argues That The Modern Scientific Understanding That The Mind Is Rooted In The Body Necessitates A Thorough Review Of Philosophical Ideas That Spring From The Cartesian Split Between Mind And Body, Not Least The Ideas Of Intelligibility, The Self, And The Platonic Good. He Traces The Development Of The Relevant Metaphysics Through Plato, Plotinus, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Carnap, And Quine. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or

David Weissman is Professor of Philosophy at City College of New York and the author of several books, including, most recently, A Social Ontology .