For as long as humans have been philosophizing about the mind, virtual

Question

For as long as humans have been philosophizing about the mind, virtually every thinker has conceived of the mind as a unitary entity. In fact, such a view was crucial to both Aristotle’s and Descartes’s view that the mind (or the soul) survived death. Surely the self cannot be subdivided; surely one cannot have half a mind? Indeed, the final evidence that one can, in fact, have “half a mind” came in the 1960’s, from the famous studies for which Roger Sperry was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1981 for his discoveries about the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres. Working with epileptics who had been treated via the cutting of the corpus callosum, or division between the two hemispheres, Sperry was able to observe “odd behavior” in these patients—each half of the brain could gain new information, but one hemisphere was entirely unaware of what the other had learned or experienced.

Restak, in The Modular Brain, posits that the brain is not centrally organized (some prior theories of mind had actually posed the existence of a “director” in the brain,  begging the question of who directs the director’s brain ) but, alternately, that different parts of the brain control different abilities, and that those “modules” can operate independently. As we can easily see from patients with brain damage, there is no “unified mind and personality”—part of ourselves, centered in different parts of the brain, can change or be obliterated entirely as a result of physical changes to the brain. Consider the case of Phineas Gage, a rail worker who, in 1848, while attempting to compress explosive powder with a tamping rod, literally blew a hole in the front of his brain. While Gage was ultimately able to function fairly normally, his personality was markedly changed; he became boorish and irresponsible. Gage’s case was well documented, allowing modern reconstructions to show that his injury affected areas of the brain that we now know to be related to moral sensibilities and their expression. That is, Phineas Gage literally lost one (or more) of the modules in his modular brain system.    1 
 1. The case of Phineas Gage is presented as evidence that

(A) the modular brain system has a central “director”
(B) people who lose parts of the brain are usually able to function normally
(C) brain injury is a serious risk in certain types of work
(D) splitting the corpus callosum can result in marked changes in personality
(E) aspects of personality can be physically located within the brain

2 
 2. In lines ( Highlighted ), the phrase “begging the question of who directs the director’s brain” is meant to emphasize that

I. the problem of a “director” in the brain is recursive
II. whether there is such a “director” of the brain is an open question
III. Restak has both asked and answered a question about the brain’s organization

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

3 
 3. Which of the following can be inferred about thinkers who conceive of the mind as a unitary entity?

I. They believe that the mind survives death.
II. Their views are incompatible with modular brain theory.
III. They are unaware that certain aspects of personality are known to be controlled by certain areas of the brain.

A. I Only
B. II Only
C. III Only
D. I and II Only
E. II and III Only

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 149 Date: 16-May-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

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stutimishra · Answer

pls explain how option e in ques 1 ??

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The case of Phineas Gage is presented as evidence that

Explanation

You are told that Gage’s physical injury affected his personality, that the part of his brain that was damaged is now known to be related to morality, and that Gage literally lost one (or more) of the modules in his modular brain system.  (E)  is a good match.

(A)  is the opposite of what is being argued.

(B)  is not indicated by the passage (and really goes against common sense).

(C)  may be true but is not the reason the author presented the example.

(D)  relates to the previous paragraph, not to Phineas Gage.

Answer: E

gayatrijuneja011 · Answer

Please explain Q-2&3.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. In lines (Highlighted), the phrase “begging the question of who directs the director’s brain” is meant to emphasize that

Explanation

The author is saying that, if the brain has a director, then that director would need its own director — and, presumably,  that  director would need a director, etc. The expression  “begging the question”  isn’t really about a question; the other two choices are traps.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Which of the following can be inferred about thinkers who conceive of the mind as a unitary entity?

Explanation

A  “unitary entity”  would NOT be split into parts, or modules. While Aristotle and Descartes believed that the mind survived death, and lived long enough ago that they couldn’t have been  aware that certain aspects of personality are known to be controlled by certain areas of the brain , the question is not only about Aristotle and Descartes — it is about all advocates of a unitary view of the mind (you are told that, historically, that includes “virtually every thinker”). You simply do not have enough information about these thinkers to know whether they think the mind survives death, or whether some of them (more modern thinkers, presumably) are aware of current research into the brain.

Answer: B

ritz07 · Answer

Answer to Q3 - I feel it is incorrect.

How can we ignore Statement I about the "mind survives death"? Its clearly written as being part of the philosopher's philosophy in the first para. Can someone explain?

djangobackend · Answer

Its thinking of only two of the mentioned philosophers but question is about all thinkers so we cannot assume it as consistent thought of everyone

djangobackend · Answer

Question 3 explanation -

3 is wrong since every thinker can include modern thinkers as well and they might be aware about 3rd St., so it cannot be inferred

2 is correct because they clearly think of brain as unitary entity while modular theory is all about brain not being a "unitary" entity but instead divided into independent modules

1 is wrong because only Aristotle, descrates believe that we are not given that all thinkers believe that

For as long as humans have been philosophizing about the mind, virtual

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For as long as humans have been philosophizing about the mind, virtual

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