Analysis of Idea of «the Suspended Man in Space» Based on Sorensen’s Logical Model

Editorial

Authors

1 Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

2 MA of Philosophy, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Ibn Sina apparently seeks to prove three matters by making a subjective and nonexperimental terms in framework of the idea of «the suspended man in space»; the existence of soul, immateriality of soul, being presential of self knowledge. Nonetheless this idea and the range of its giving knowledge always have been disputed by philosophers.
In this article will be shown that one of the most important factors that has caused divagation in analysis of this idea, is observation of this idea through the framework of aristotelian logic. The best framework for analysis of this idea is thought experiment. First time, analytic philosophers dealt with introduction and description of thought experiments. In this article, at first, we deal with short introduction of thought experiments and examination of their status according to islamic philosophers. Then, we introduce the model suggested by sorensen for logical formalization of thought experiments. Sorensen seeks to put thought experiments in the single argumentative framework by introduction of this logical model. Then, we analyze idea of «suspended man in space» based on this model. Based on sorensen’s model, however, the experiment of suspended man keeps aspect of it, and giving knowledge, but, we can’t make uttermost use, rather, its effective extent should be adjusted. In this article, it will be shown that this idea only can be applied to prove immateriality of soul, however, this application will depend on acceptance of some additive assumptions and assistive hypotheses.

Keywords

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