Last week, we had some fun with philosophical zombies—hypothetical creatures that are physically identical to you but lack conscious experience. Essentially, p-zombies are a body without conscious experiences. And we asked whether such a thing might be possible.
This week, we're going to (kind of) flip the question and ask: is it possible to have a mind without a body?
The concept of a mind existing without a body aligns with functionalism and the currently popular computer metaphor — the mind is software that runs on the hardware of the brain. And it is this software that is important. If we wanted to replicate you, the important thing to replicate would be your mind — the body, it is assumed, is not so important.
But some philosophers and cognitive scientists question this view. They argue that the mind cannot exist without a body — a brain alone is insufficient. The body isn't simply a vehicle for transporting the brain around — it's a necessary part of our thinking, perceiving, and understanding of the world.
This perspective is known as embodied cognition.
So, how essential is the body to the mind?
To find out, we’re asking three questions:
* What’s the usual way scientists explain what the brain does?
* What’s wrong with this standard story?
* Why are bodies important for understanding the world?
