There's Something about Mary

This is a revolution of the mind.

The two sides are pretty easy to describe: Naturalists believe that there are only natural things in existence. They seek to explain all of life's mysteries, using only what is in the physical world. Non-naturalists believe that the world's mysteries can only be explained through non-natural entities, supernatural entities like God, parallel universes, Forms, Universals, etc. They believe in things outside the system.

The two main problems are easy to describe: Naturalists have trouble explaining things using only natural entities. Non-naturalists have explained these things, but now must explain the supernatural entities, which is another huge problem.

I'm revisiting a thesis I wrote concerning a brilliant philosopher named Frank Jackson and a troubling scenario that he puts forth. I say troubling, because it causes further difficult for the Naturalists. And it's brilliant.

(A quick sidenote: Jackson is arguing against physicalism - a system that claims there are no kinds of things other than physical things.)

"Mary is confined to a black and white room, is educated through black and white books and through lectures relayed on black and white television. In this way she learns everything there is to know about the physical nature of the world. She knows all the physical facts about us and our environment, in a wide sense of 'physical' which includes everything in completed physics, chemistry and neurophysiology, and all there is to know about the causal and relational facts consequent upon all this, including of course functional roles." (Jackson 291)

Mary knows ALL physical facts about the universe. Yet she's only seen in black and white.

One day, Mary is released from her room and set free to walk down a garden path outside. For the first time in her life, she sees color. She sees a red flower - taking in for the first time the concept of Red.

Now, if physicalism is true, then Mary knew everything there is to know inside the room. But when she's let out, she learns something. There must be some knowledge beyond physical facts.

Knowing how the eye perceives light and how the brain translates this as a color is not the same as knowing what it's like to see Red.

After gaining total physical knowledge, there's still something else to learn.

This is a major problem for Naturalism.

The problem, simply stated is this:

Mary knows all physical facts.
Mary learns something new.
There must be facts that are non-physical.

Don't think too hard over the weekend.