Ancient Views of the Self
Philosopher Martha Nussbaum talks about the split among the ancient Greeks between those, like Aristotle, who thought the body was an essential part of the self, and those like Plato, who believed that the body was merely "...a prison house for the ...
The Rediscovery of the Mind
Philosopher John Searle says that many philosophers are mistaken in the way they view the mind and the body, noting that they rely on old vocabulary and fail to consider how the mind actually works in real life.
The Mind and the Body
Philosopher John Searle explains that when the body (including, of course, the brain) dies, the mind and the self die at the same time. He rejects the notion that there is something else, what some would call the soul, that endures despite the death...
Human Nature
Philosopher Hubert Dreyfus talks about the ancient view of human nature, which was based on man as a rational animal. Professor Dreyfus describes how that perspective changed in about 1670, when Blaise Pascal wrote that human nature is essentially a...
Human Beings: Description and Origins
Philosopher Daniel Dennett talks about the origins of human beings. He states that contrary to the old notion that people are distinct from other organisms in that we have souls (or, as Descartes suggested, that we are "thinking things with a body")...
The Mind-Body Problem
Philosopher John Searle explores "the mind-body problem." He begins by talking about the perspective of Descartes and others who viewed the mind and the body as totally separate and distinct areas. Professor Searle then goes on to look at how the mi...