Analysis Of Daniel Dennett s Where Am I Essay

A body is just a body without a brain to command it and a brain can only do so much without a body to yield. It’s undeniable that the mind and body are completely dependent on the other to function, but where do they join together to form a unique individual. To what extent do the mind and body bridge together to form a unique individual? Is there even a bridge that connects them or are the mind and body separate entities who solely rely on each other to function, but that’s where all the shared boundaries that create a person end. Daniel Dennett tackles these mind and body questions in his essay, Where Am I. In Daniel Dennett’s, Where Am I, Dennett agrees to undergo an operation with would remove his brain from his body and insert an antennae that would enable his brain to control his body remotely. When Dennett wakes up, he finds that he doesn’t know where he is, but not in that sense that he was geographically lost. Dennett has woken up to find himself in his body without his brain, leaving him with the question, where am I? Is Dennett still in his body, in his brain, or in some cross-section between the two? First Dennett considers what it would mean if his identity, his â€Å"Dennettness† so to speak, were attached to his body, whom he has dubbed Hamlet. Ostensibly it would make sense if he himself were still in his body. When he first wakes up after the surgery, he is unable to put himself in the vat with his brain, named Yorick. He can’t shake the perception that he isShow Mo reRelatedAnalysis Of Daniel Dennett s Where Am I 1509 Words   |  7 PagesIn this Daniel Dennett’s essay â€Å"Where Am I?† Dennett tackles the difference between mind, body, and a person’s identity. In his story, Dennett has his brain removed and preserved in a vat. His body stays alive, and radio transmitters make it so he can still function. Dennett starts to question who and where â€Å"he† is. Though Dennett has several strong ideas, he isn’t correct in everything he suggests. When Dennett goes to view his brain, his first thought is that he is outside of the vat, lookingRead MorePhilosophy comparing libertarianism, compatibilism, and determinism2363 Words   |  10 Pagesfree or if they are governed by forces outside of your control. In the following paper I intend to compare and contrast the three major philosophical viewpoints regarding this question, and come to a conclusion on which I find to be the right answer. I believe the best way to do this is to first lay out the beliefs of each viewpoint. Once I have done this I can compare them, and give my insight on which I believe to be right. The first viewpoint regarding human freedom is determinism. TheRead MoreBranches of Philosophy8343 Words   |  34 PagesWestern philosophy [edit] History Main article: History of Western philosophy The introduction of the terms philosopher and philosophy has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras (see Diogenes Laertius: De vita et moribus philosophorum, I, 12; Cicero: Tusculanae disputationes, V, 8-9). The ascription is based on a passage in a lost work of Herakleides Pontikos, a disciple of Aristotle. It is considered to be part of the widespread legends of Pythagoras of this time. Philosopher replaced