Anyone got a handle on philosophy?
May. 27th, 2004 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
songofjoy02Actually, I'm specifically wondering about Ryle's concept of a "category mistake" that Descartes (and others) made in their philosophy of the mind. Here's a sort of brief description, if you're not familiar with it. I think what confuses me is the whole "over and above" phrase. Is he saying that it's wrong to conclude that the mind is in a higher classification/categorization than the individual parts that make it up (or that it sums up what they are)...or that it is the correct way to view it? In other words, is he for or against the idea that the mind is the sum of the parts as well as a different categorization of them? Talking about this in class today, the instructor compared this idea to reducing mental processes to digestive processes. Of course, it seems (and the teacher noted this, of course) that the mental process involves far more complexity than does the digestive process...so the question was whether Ryle's analogy held or not. But I still don't think I get it...
Which is why I'm having so much difficulty explaining my question. Do any of you have any ideas? I have the test tomorrow. I like going to class everyday, but it does leave a lot less time for research and trying to absorb the material as much as I would like. =\ I really do think I've "got it" enough, but I'm still not 100% sure.=)
In other news, my mom and little sister left this morning. My oldest brother is in Europe. So we've only got seven people at home at the moment. It's just for six days, though. I'm glad for Memorial Day, because I'm really not sure how to juggle school and work along with trying to help at home while my mom is gone. My dad's going to work on Memorial Day, so I'll be at home alone with the five boys. I'll have lots of work for them to do!;-) We'll have to get the house clean and do lots of other fun things. LOL! I think going to school and work is easier.
Well, I'd better get back to studying for my test.
Which is why I'm having so much difficulty explaining my question. Do any of you have any ideas? I have the test tomorrow. I like going to class everyday, but it does leave a lot less time for research and trying to absorb the material as much as I would like. =\ I really do think I've "got it" enough, but I'm still not 100% sure.=)
In other news, my mom and little sister left this morning. My oldest brother is in Europe. So we've only got seven people at home at the moment. It's just for six days, though. I'm glad for Memorial Day, because I'm really not sure how to juggle school and work along with trying to help at home while my mom is gone. My dad's going to work on Memorial Day, so I'll be at home alone with the five boys. I'll have lots of work for them to do!;-) We'll have to get the house clean and do lots of other fun things. LOL! I think going to school and work is easier.
Well, I'd better get back to studying for my test.
