Reconsidering the Mind/Body Distinction: Towards a Continuist Ontology of Consciousness

Author Information

Michael Robillard

Abstract/Description

In his paper, “The State and Fate of Contemporary Philosophy of Mind,” John Haldane likens the present condition of Philosophy of Mind to that of the philosophically stultifying period of late scholasticism, where naming took the place of explaining, and philosophy was reduced to taxonomy. Haldane argues that our current physicalistic lexicon has made it virtually “impossible to accommodate the basic features of mindedness revealed in reflection and direct experience.” For Philosophy of Mind to progress, Haldane argues, we must “make space” for alternative modes of knowing that exist beyond the bounds of our current, overly physicalistic terminology.

Note on the Author

Michael Robillard graduated from the United States Military Academy in June of 2002, earning a Bachelors degree in Art, Philosophy, and Literature. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army until 2007. In January of 2008 he enrolled at Bridgewater State College as a non-matriculated undergraduate student. Michael conducted this research as part of a directed study under the mentorship of Dr. Edward James of the Philosophy Department. A version of this paper was accepted for presentation at the 2009 National Conference of Undergraduate Research.

Recommended Citation

Robillard, Michael (2009). Reconsidering the Mind/Body Distinction: Towards a Continuist Ontology of Consciousness. Undergraduate Review, 5, 84-88.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol5/iss1/17

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