Materialism in Philosophy of Mind
13/01/14 07:36 Filed in: Theology | Philosophy
In philosophy of mind materialism is pointing to the fact that our minds are entirely material. Even our sensations, images, perceptions, and emotions are only complicated forms of matter in motion (Shaffer, 2013).
Hobbes' version of materialism says that everything in the world is material; everything is matter in motion. Hobbes maintains that life itself requires motion and in a living body there are many kinds of motion (Schmitter, 2010). According to Hobbes, thinking is like a manipulation of memories. Our memories are build from our impressions, they are imprints that remain in our material mind. Some imprints are clearer than others, so some of our memories remain in our mind while others fade away. When we put all these memories together in a variety of ways, when we make various relationships between our memories, we think.
Our thinking take place in order to make decisions. In our care for things we attract some objects and reject others. Our passions are a kind of motion internal to the body and related to the will (Schmitter, 2010).
Bibliography
Schmitter, Amy M., "17th and 18th Century Theories of Emotions", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
Shaffer, Jerome A. "mind, philosophy of." Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2013.
Our thinking take place in order to make decisions. In our care for things we attract some objects and reject others. Our passions are a kind of motion internal to the body and related to the will (Schmitter, 2010).
Bibliography
Schmitter, Amy M., "17th and 18th Century Theories of Emotions", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
Shaffer, Jerome A. "mind, philosophy of." Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2013.
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