John Dewey and the Mind-Body Problem in the Context: The Case of «Neutral Monism»

Authors

  • Andrii Leonov Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31812/apd.v0i19.2078

Keywords:

mind-body problem, neutral monism, dual-aspect theory, Russell, Mach, James, Dewey

Abstract

The main focus of this paper is the mind-body problem in its relation to the doctrine of ‘neutral monism’ and the question who can be considered its proponents. According to Bertrand Russell, these are Ernst Mach, William James, and John Dewey (to name a few). This paper aims to clarify whether Russell himself was right in his conclusions or not. At first, I start with the clarification of the relation between ‘neutral monism’ and ‘dual-aspect theory’. Secondly, I analyze the ‘big three’ of the neutral monism: Mach, James and Russell. My starting-point here is Russell’s very understanding of Mach and James positions. In the end, it appears that neither Mach, nor James as well as Dewey can be considered as neutral monists. It was rather Russell’s misunderstanding of the both James’ radical empiricism and Mach’s analysis of sensations, which led him to the creation of his own original version of ‘neutral monism’ (or ‘Russelian monism’).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...
Abstract views: 368 / PDF downloads: 209

References

Curley E. A Spinoza Reader. The Ethics and Other Works. Benedict de Spinoza. — Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 1994.

Eames E.R. Bertrand Russell’s Dialogue with His Contemporaries. — Carbondale and Edwardsville : Southern Illinois University Press, 1989.

Davidson D. Mental Events // Davidson D. (ed.). Essays on Actions and Events. — Oxford : Clarendon Press, 1980. — P. 207-225.

Dewey J. The Postulate of Immediate Empiricism // Hickman L.A., Alexander T.M. The Essential Dewey. — Bloomington and Indianapolis : Indiana University Press, 1998. — Vol. 1. Pragmatism, Education, Democracy. — P. 115-120.

Dewey J. Experience and Nature. — La Salle, Illinois : The Open Court Publishing, 1971.

Hickman L.A., Alexander T.M. The Essential Dewey. — Bloomington and Indianapolis : Indiana University Press, 1998. — Vol. 1. Pragmatism, Education, Democracy.

Godfrey-Smith P. John Dewey’s Experience and Nature // Topoi. An International Review of Philosophy. — 2013. — November. [Electronic source]. — Available

at: http://petergodfreysmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/PGS-on-Experience-and-Nature-Topoi-2013.pdf

Jackson F. Epiphenomenal Qualia // The Philosophical Quarterly. — 1982. — Vol. 32, No. 127. — P. 127-136.

James W. Essays in Radical Empiricism. — Cambridge, Massachusetts and London : Harvard University Press, 1976.

James W. Does ‘Consciousness’ Exist? // James W. Essays in Radical Empiricism. — Cambridge, Massachusetts and London : Harvard University Press, 1976. — P. 6-18.

James W. A World of Pure Experience // James W. Essays in Radical Empiricism. — Cambridge, Massachusetts and London : Harvard University Press, 1976. — P. 19-36.

James W. La Notion de Conscience: Translation // James W. Essays in Radical Empiricism. — Cambridge, Massachusetts and London : Harvard University Press, 1976. — P. 81-89.

Kim J. Supervenience as a Philosophical Concept // Kim J. Supervenience and Mind: Selected Philosophical Essays. — Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1993. — P. 131-160.

Mach E. Analysis of Sensations, and the Relation of the Psychical to the Physical. — New York : Dover Publications, Inc., 1959.

McLaughlin B. Supervenience. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. [Electronic source]. — Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/supervenience/

McNulty M. James, Mach, and the Problem of Other Minds // Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society. — 1982. — Vol. 18, No. 3.— P. 244-254.

Mursell J.L. The Function of Intuition in Descartes’ Philosophy of Science // The Philosophical Review. — 1919. — Vol. 28, No. 4. — P. 391-409.

Nagel T. What is it like to be a bat? // Philosophical Review. — 1974. — No 83. — P. 435-456.

Priest St. The Theories of Mind. — Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991.

Russell B. On the Nature of Acquaintance // Russell B. Logic and Knowledge. — New York : Capricorn Books Edition, 1971. — P. 127-174.

Russell B. An Outline of Philosophy. — New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 1961.

Russell B. A History of Western Philosophy and Its Connections with Political and Social Circumstances from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. — New York : Simon and Schuster, 1963.

Studenberg L. Neutral Monism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy [Electronic source]. — Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/neutral-monism/

Published

2018-11-21

How to Cite

Leonov, A. (2018). John Dewey and the Mind-Body Problem in the Context: The Case of «Neutral Monism». Actual Problems of Mind, (19), 72–96. https://doi.org/10.31812/apd.v0i19.2078

Issue

Section

HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY AND MODERNITY