PHL201H1 Lecture Notes - Physical Law, Intentionality, Second Cup
Document Summary
Something is material if it is spatial and subject to physical law. Something is spiritual if (i) it is neither spatial nor subject to physical law and (ii) it has consciousness and intentionality. Finally, two things interact if they can causally influence each other. Now consider the following propositions: (1) (2) (3) (4) Note that these propositions jointly entail a contradiction. (1), (2), and (4), for example, jointly entail: (5) To solve the problem, we must know which one of the four propositions to reject. The trouble is that each proposition enjoys a great deal of plausibility: why (1) is plausible: our bodies certainly appear to be spatial and subject to physical law. The materiality of body is presupposed by medicine and the various life sciences: why (2) is plausible: our minds do not appear to be in space or subject to physical law.
