Ep. 76 – Metaphysical Questions, Objectivist Answers | Dr. David Kelley

Can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts? Does consciousness require that we split the world between mind and body? Can free will exist in a naturalistic worldview?

Dr. David Kelley joins me on this episode to give his Objectivist perspective on these questions. As Dr. Kelley explains, many ideas in Objectivism are heavily influenced by Aristotelean thinking.

Guest’s Website

Topics Discussed:

03:48 Mind and Matter – Are they separate?
13:22 Is consciousness emergent?
23:33 Do capacities exist independent of the mind?
26:03 Free Will
30:48 Mysticism and The Ghost in the Machine
38:09 Concepts and Concept Formation
40:28 Do things exist independently from minds?
46:21 How are living and dying different from the position of atoms changing?
47:55 Can physical phenomena be explained in terms of their parts rather than the whole?