The Entanglement Problem for Psychological Hylomorphism

Simpson, William; Koons, Robert

Abstract

The theory of psychological hylomorphism has recently been advanced by David Charles as a viable alternative to physicalist and dualist theories of the mind. According to Charles, a human or animal is a psycho-physical whole whose mental and physical properties are defined with reference to the whole. This is because it is a hylomorphic composite of matter and form, where the form contains the material principles of the composite in its definition. In this essay, we raise a difficulty concerning the individuation of forms in the light of the quantum theory of matter, asking whether the phenomenon of quantum entanglement gives us reason to doubt that the micro-physical properties of a human or animal derive (solely) from the psycho-physical properties of a middle-sized whole. We suggest several ways of amending the theory of psychological hylomorphism to accommodate entanglement, including a proposal by Simpson in which the cosmos counts as a psycho-physical whole.

Citation

Simpson, W., & Koons, R. (in press). The Entanglement Problem for Psychological Hylomorphism. Res Philosophica,

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 31, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 22, 2024
• Journal: Res Philosophica
• Print ISSN: 2168-9105
• Electronic ISSN: 2168-9113
• Publisher: Philosophy Documentation Center
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2873617
• Publisher URL: https://www.pdcnet.org/resphilosophica/onlinefirst