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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Dennett I. 1. What point does Dennett make with his story about looking for the “subway” in London?
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A subway in England is a passage under the street, and in America it is a train.
*Looking for the self in the brain is like looking for the subway train in a London subway entrance...wrong place/wrong approach. |
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Dennett I. 2. What approach will Dennett take to understand what a self is?
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Through evolutionary biology
-In terms of origins There was no self-preservation at one point, but after living things were present, there was self-preservation, thus, selves |
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Dennett II. 1. Why is the distinction between self and other a fundamental biological principle?
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Distinguishing between the self and external world can help you survive.
-A lobster doesn't eat itself when hungry...self preservation |
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Dennett II. 2. How does the immune system show the existence of a self?
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immune system expels foreign bodies
transplant- body rejects mismatch |
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Dennett II. 3. What is a “minimal self” (“primitive self”)?
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a principle of organization that distinguishes (draws boundaries)
-is real, but abstract (not a thing, not physical, but real) -a midpoint doesn't take up space, but it exists) |
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Dennett III. 1. What point does Dennett make with his examples of the hermit crab and beaver’s dam?
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hermit crab- finds a shell and 'moves in' for protection
-It's a part of the self..what you control and care for Beaver's Dam- Dam is part of its environment, controls and cares for...part of its 'self' |
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Dennett III 2. How does this point (beaver dam, hermit crab) apply to human beings?
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We also have flexible boundaries.
-What we control and care for varies from person to person. |
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Dennett IV. 1. What element in the human environment most distinguishes it from the environment of other animals?
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Words (language) distinguish us from other animals
-we weave our words into narratives (stories) -we have a primitive self from conception to death, but not a narrative self until speech |
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Dennett IV 2. What is a human being’s fundamental tactic of self-protection?
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Telling stories is a fundamental tactic
-A one year old or a comatose person cannot tell a story, so they are not a person....persons tell stories |
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Dennett IV 3. What does Dennett mean by his claim that the human self is the product and not the source of narrative?
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At the common sense level, I am the source of my story
Dennett says, however, that we are the PRODUCT -we exist because of our story, and are created because of words ::I exist because of my story, and if I do not tell my story, I do not exist:: |
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Dennett IV 4. In what sense is the self “a center of narrative gravity”?
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center of gravity-point of balance
-it exists, but is abstract -our name refers to the center of our story (we are the stars) |
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Dennett V. 1. How does the phenomenon of multiple personality disorder support Dennett’s theory that the self is a center of narrative gravity?
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You can take on roles depending on the situtation (because of abuse)
Not all human bodies have a self, but a body can have more than one self (MPD, more than one 'main character') -two persons in one body...more than one center of gravity -both selves can tell their stories |
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Dennett VI. 1. What is the main function of a Head of State? What is the parallel function of the self?
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The main function of the Head of State is to represent the people.
The parallel function is the Head of Mind, which represents yourself. |
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Dennett VI 2. How is the Head of Mind “elected”?
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Choose the role that fits you best--choose your story
-options played over in your mind |
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Dennett VI 3. What is Dennett’s example of an “election” in the visual system?
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binocular rivalry- favoring one eye over the other because of distorted image
-vision chooses one eye, self chooses one personality -"nature likes one" |