Imagine a world where everything is black and white. This is the world of Mary, a brilliant neuroscientist who specializes in vision. Mary knows everything there is to know about how our eyes and brain perceive color. She can explain the function of cone cells, the color-sensitive receptors in our eyes, and how our brain processes these signals. However, Mary has never actually seen color herself because she has lived her entire life in a black and white environment, with only a black and white TV and computer monitor.
Now, consider this thought experiment: If Mary were to step outside her black and white world and experience color for the first time, would she learn something new? This scenario is known as the knowledge argument or Mary’s room, a philosophical thought experiment proposed by Australian philosopher Frank Jackson in 1982. It challenges the idea that all knowledge is physical and suggests that conscious experience includes non-physical elements.
Physicalism is the philosophical view that everything that exists is physical. According to this view, all aspects of human existence, including our bodies and minds, can be explained by physical properties. For instance, chemistry and biology describe our bodies as composed of basic elements that form cells, bones, and muscles. But is this physical description all there is to us?
Jackson argued against physicalism by suggesting that even though Mary knows all the physical facts about color, she discovers something new when she experiences color firsthand. This new knowledge is about what it feels like to see colors like red, blue, or green.
The idea of subjective experience predating Mary’s room was discussed by English philosopher Charlie Broad in 1925. He imagined a scenario where a mathematical angel, with perfect knowledge of the microscopic structure of ammonia, could not predict its smell without experiencing it. This suggests that some facts might be subjective, based on personal experience.
This leads us to the mind-body problem, a central issue in both philosophy and neuroscience. It explores the relationship between the mind—our beliefs, sensations, and emotions—and the body, the physical matter we are made of. Are our conscious experiences just the result of physical processes, or is there something more?
A 2008 study by neuroscientists provides insight into this question. Participants were shown random letters while their brain activity was recorded using an fMRI machine. They were asked to press a button whenever they felt like it and remember the letter on the screen at that moment. The study found that brain activity patterns could predict their actions up to seven seconds before they consciously decided to act. This suggests that unconscious brain activity influences decision-making, hinting that our bodies might encompass our minds.
So, is our first-person experience unique? The answer depends on your perspective. In Mary’s case, experiencing color might change her emotional response to it, but not her scientific understanding. This implies that while facts themselves may not be subjective, our interpretation of them can be. And that, in itself, is a fact worth pondering.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, and stay tuned for more intriguing discussions next week.
Engage in a structured debate with your classmates. Divide into two groups: one supporting physicalism and the other opposing it. Use the knowledge argument and other philosophical theories to support your stance. This will help you critically analyze different perspectives on the mind-body problem.
Design a thought experiment similar to Mary’s room. Consider a scenario where a person has complete theoretical knowledge about a phenomenon but lacks direct experience. Present your experiment to the class and discuss whether it supports or challenges physicalism.
Research the historical context of the knowledge argument and other related philosophical arguments, such as those by Charlie Broad. Prepare a presentation that outlines these arguments and their implications for understanding consciousness and subjective experience.
Participate in a workshop where you explore different aspects of consciousness through activities like guided meditation, sensory deprivation, and discussions on subjective experiences. Reflect on how these activities influence your understanding of the mind-body relationship.
Analyze a case study based on the 2008 neuroscience study mentioned in the article. Discuss how unconscious brain activity might influence decision-making and what this implies for the concept of free will. Present your findings and engage in a class discussion.
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**NARRATOR:** This is Mary. Mary is a neuroscientist, a brilliant one, who specializes in vision. She can tell you all about your cone cells, which are the color-sensitive receptors in your eye, or how your brain perceives color. However, for her whole life, she’s lived in a house where everything is black and white, and she’s never left. She has a black and white TV and a black and white computer monitor. She knows everything there is to know about color, but she’s never experienced it.
So here’s a question for you: if one day Mary leaves her black and white house, if she goes outside and actually experiences color, will she learn anything? Or not? This is the knowledge argument, also known as Mary’s room. It’s a thought experiment first proposed by Australian philosopher Frank Jackson in 1982. It aims to demonstrate that our conscious experience is made up of non-physical things.
Let me explain. Physicalism is a philosophical view that everything that exists has physical properties. For example, chemistry, biology, and even neuroscience tell us that human bodies are composed of six basic elements, which then make up things like our cells, bones, and muscles. But is our physical nature our complete nature? Jackson argued that physicalism must be false because even though Mary knew all the physical facts about color, there is a fact she discovers when she leaves her black and white house—the fact about what it is like for someone to see red, or blue, or green.
This idea in philosophy was discussed long before Mary’s room. Back in 1925, English philosopher Charlie Broad posed a similar scenario. Imagine that a mathematical angel with unlimited mathematical skill would know the exact microscopic structure of ammonia, but he wouldn’t be able to predict that a substance with this structure would smell like ammonia does when it gets into the human nose. The angel could predict that ammonia would stimulate your olfactory nerves, but he wouldn’t know the exact smell until he experienced it.
So, can some facts be subjective? And are they still facts? If your first-person, conscious experience counts, then maybe your brain is more than just an information processing machine. The mind-body problem is where philosophy and neuroscience meet. The problem asks, what is the relationship between the mind—our beliefs, sensations, and emotions—and the body—the matter we’re composed of?
In a 2008 study, neuroscientists showed people random letters while they had their brain activity recorded in an fMRI machine. They were asked to press a button whenever they felt like it and remember which letter was on the screen when they did. The subjects showed a pattern of brain activity that predicted their actions up to seven seconds before their conscious decision. The unconscious activity in their brains shaped their decision-making.
In terms of that mind-body problem, this suggests that your body encompasses your mind. Is our first-person experience so special? Of course, the answer to this question depends on your perspective. In the case of Mary, her experience of color would probably change her feelings and emotions towards color, but not her scientific understanding of it. So perhaps a fact isn’t subjective, but our interpretation of it can be. And that’s a fact.
Let me know what you think in the comments, and see you next week.
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Fact – A statement that can be proven to be true or false, often used in philosophical discussions to differentiate between objective reality and subjective perception. – In neuroscience, it is a fact that the brain is composed of billions of neurons, which are essential for processing information.
Knowledge – Justified true belief, often explored in philosophy to understand the nature and scope of human understanding. – The study of neuroscience contributes to our knowledge of how the brain processes sensory information.
Physicalism – The philosophical position that everything which exists is no more extensive than its physical properties, and that the only existing substance is physical. – Physicalism challenges the notion of a non-physical mind by asserting that mental states are entirely dependent on physical brain states.
Experience – The conscious events that make up an individual’s perception of the world, often analyzed in both philosophy and neuroscience to understand consciousness. – Neuroscientists study sensory experience to determine how the brain constructs a coherent representation of the external world.
Mind-body – A philosophical concept concerning the relationship between mental states and physical states, often debated in terms of dualism and physicalism. – The mind-body problem questions how subjective experiences arise from neural processes in the brain.
Neuroscience – The scientific study of the nervous system, often intersecting with philosophy to explore questions about consciousness and cognition. – Advances in neuroscience have provided insights into how brain activity correlates with conscious thought.
Subjectivity – The quality of experiences being influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions, often contrasted with objectivity in philosophical discussions. – Subjectivity in perception is a key topic in both philosophy and neuroscience, as it relates to how individuals uniquely interpret sensory information.
Interpretation – The process of explaining or understanding the meaning of something, often discussed in philosophy in terms of how individuals perceive and make sense of the world. – In neuroscience, interpretation of neural data is crucial for understanding how different brain regions contribute to cognition.
Consciousness – The state of being aware of and able to think about one’s own existence, sensations, and thoughts, a central topic in both philosophy and neuroscience. – Philosophers and neuroscientists alike strive to unravel the mysteries of consciousness and its neural correlates.
Emotion – A complex psychological state involving an individual’s subjective experience, physiological response, and behavioral expression, studied in both philosophy and neuroscience. – Neuroscience explores how emotions are processed in the brain and how they influence decision-making and behavior.
