Building thoughts from dust

a Cantorian puzzle

Joshua Rasmussen

pp. 393-404

in: Synthese 192 (2), 2015.

Abstract

I bring to light a set-theoretic reason to think that there are more (identifiable) mental properties than (identifiable) shapes, sizes, masses, and other characteristically “physical” properties. I make use of a couple counting principles. One principle, backed by a Cantorian-style argument, is that pluralities outnumber particulars: that is, there is a distinct plurality of particulars for each particular, but not vice versa. The other is a principle by which we may coherently identify distinct mental properties in terms of arbitrary pluralities of physical properties. I motivate these principles and explain how they together imply that there are more mental properties than physical properties. I then argue that certain parody arguments fail for various instructive reasons. The purpose of my argument is to identify an unforeseen “counting” cost of a certain reductive materialist view of the mind.

Cited authors

Cantor Georg