In Our Time: Philosophy

The Mind/Body Problem


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the mind/body problem in philosophy. At the start of René Descartes' Sixth Meditation he writes: "there is a great difference between mind and body, inasmuch as body is by nature always divisible, and mind is entirely indivisible. For when I consider the mind, or myself in so far as I am merely a thinking thing, I am unable to distinguish many parts within myself; I understand myself to be something quite single and complete. Although the whole mind seems to be united to the whole body, I recognize that if a foot or an arm or any other part of the body is cut off nothing has thereby been taken away from the mind".This thinking is the basis of what's known as 'Cartesian dualism', Descartes' attempt to address one of the central questions in philosophy, the mind/body problem: is the mind part of the body, or the body part of the mind? If they are distinct, then how do they interact? And which of the two is in charge?With Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London; Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine; Sue James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: PhilosophyBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

841 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: Philosophy

View all
Philosophize This! by Stephen West

Philosophize This!

15,268 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,827 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

300 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,114 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,074 Listeners

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast by Mark Linsenmayer, Wes Alwan, Seth Paskin, Dylan Casey

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

2,113 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,488 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,819 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,254 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,881 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

614 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

736 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

284 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

304 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,842 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,053 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,058 Listeners

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps by Peter Adamson

History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

1,615 Listeners

Philosophy Bites by Edmonds and Warburton

Philosophy Bites

1,542 Listeners

Philosophy For Our Times by IAI

Philosophy For Our Times

316 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,214 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,046 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,823 Listeners

Past Present Future by David Runciman

Past Present Future

338 Listeners