The Mind-Body Problem Multiple-Choice Quiz

. According to René Descartes' version of substance dualism, the two kinds of substances are

matter, which has extension and position in space, and mind, which has neither.

matter, which has extension and position in space, and mind, which has position but not extension.

matter, of which all lower animals are composed, and mind, of which humans are composed.

matter, of which all human beings are composed, and mind, of which angels and God are composed.

. According to epiphenomenalism, mental phenomena are

events occurring in an immaterial substance located inside the head.

events that are caused by physical phenomena but have no effect on the physical world.

events that affect the physical world but cannot be affected by it.

events that are identical with events in the physical world, despite appearances to the contrary.

. Which of the following does Churchland not cite as an argument for dualism?

Dualism is true because religion tells us that the soul is immaterial.

Dualism is true because when we reflect on our experience, we perceive sensations, thoughts, etc., that simply could not be physical phenomena.

Dualism is true because psychic abilities (such as the ability to foretell the future) cannot possibly be explained in terms of physical systems.

Dualism is true because neuroscience has proven that our thoughts are irreducible to the activity of our neurons.

. According to Churchland, the most decisive argument against substance dualism is that

Ockham's razor tells us to prefer the simpler explanation, which is materialism.

neuroscience has shown that movement, perception, and learning occur in the brain.

even hard-to-explain mental phenomena such as emotion and reasoning can be affected by physical or chemical changes in the brain.

although substance dualism predicts the existence of psychic abilities, there is no good evidence that anyone has such abilities.

. Churchland's main goal in this chapter is

to prove that evolution explains the existence of the mind.

to show that the arguments against dualism are stronger than the arguments for it.

to prove that epiphenomenalism is the only plausible form of dualism.

to explain how neuroscience has replaced philosophy in explaining the mind.

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