Philosophy / Unit 6 Philosophy 0228 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Epiphenomenalism
Captions available
The idea
Epiphenomenalism: mental states are real but causally idle—experience is produced by the brain and affects nothing, like smoke from an engine.
In practice
On this view your pain never made you flinch; the nerve signals did both jobs, and the hurting rode along.
Where people slip
The cost is steep: if experiences cause nothing, they never caused anyone to talk about them—including this sentence.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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