History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 141 - Into Thin Air - Avicenna on the Soul
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Sep 15, 2013 AI Snips
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Flying Man Thought Experiment
- Avicenna asks us to imagine a man created fully formed, suspended in mid-air with no sensory input or memories.
- He uses this 'flying man' scenario to show the person would still be self-aware despite total sensory deprivation.
Self-Awareness Precedes Other Mental Acts
- Avicenna treats primitive self-awareness as more fundamental than any sensory experience or memory.
- He argues all other mental activity presupposes this background self-awareness.
Awareness Shows Non-Identity
- From the flying man Avicenna infers that awareness of the self without awareness of the body shows the soul is distinct from the body.
- He invokes the principle that differing awareness implies non-identity of things.