Substance Dualism And Property Dualism : The Mind-Body Problem

I would like to begin this paper by addressing what question I hope to answer through the entirety of this paper: is the mind physical? As simple as this question may seem to be, there still, to this day, is not a definite answer. There are, mostly, two approaches to answering this problem, through dualism or physicalism. The dualist, for the purposes of this paper, simply believes that the mind and the body are not equal and therefore, they are not one in the same. The physicalist, however, would come back to say that there are no such things as non-physical objects and therefore, they would conclude that the body and the mind are both physical. After weighing on both sides of this argument, I am going to defend the physicalist ideas and

In essence, Cartesian Dualism attempts to solve the mind-body problem – that is, what is the relationship between the mind and the body? The answer, according to this theory, is that the mind and the body are two distinctly different substances that constitute each person. Here, “mind” can be described as a nonphysical thing that thinks and “body” as a living physical thing that does not think. The mind can also exist independently of the body, and both can causally affect one another.

Dualism says the mind and matter are two different substance. Either body can function without brain and our mind can carry on without body like they are 2 different systems. This can be correlated with our private consciousness and the knowledge of brains state as its common. They two are separate things and one is not related to another.

Dualism is defined as a belief that mental occurrences are more than just a physical act. Humans are composed of two kinds of substances which are immaterial and physical. The immaterial substance consists of the mind or soul and the physical substance consists of the body. Moreland attempts to make nonbelievers believe in the immaterial soul by mentioning that there are numerous non-physical entities that we believe in, such as numbers, goodness and moral laws. This ultimately leads to the defense of dualism and rejecting the physicalism worldview that is present with those that deny that the mind and body are separate entities.

One of the most talked about concepts of philosophy is that of the mind-body problem. In short, the mind-body problem is the relationship between the mind and the body. Specifically, it’s the connection between our mental realm of thoughts, including beliefs, ideas, sensations, emotions, and our physical realm, the actual matter of which we are made up of the atoms, neurons. The problem comes when we put the emphasis on mind and body. Are the mind and body one physical thing, or two separate entities. Two arguments have stood amongst the rest, Interactionism and physicalism. Interactionism claims that mind and matter are two separate categories with a casual integration between the two. By contrast, physicalism draws from the idea that all aspects of the human body are under one physical being, there are no nonphysical connections that come into play. While both state a clear and arguable statement regarding mind-body problem, Interactionism gives a more plausible answer to the mind-body problem because although it may seem like we are tied as one, our minds have a subconscious that influence our thoughts, actions, ideas, and beliefs, which is completely independent from the realm of our physical matter.

At the start, I will talk about the argument from the religion aspect for dualism. Most major world religions are based on separating the ‘mind’ and ‘body’. The eternal ‘mind’ or soul either ends up in heaven or hell, free from the ‘body’ itself. According to a number of religions, there is some sort of life after you die; a good example of this is angels which some call the ‘mind’ of god exists without any physical presence. This is what we come to know as substance dualism or something that is very relative to a form of substance dualism. As a result, "seeing how uncertain dualism is, in principle, the similar would be a willing to also be uncertain in one 's religious tradition, which a lot of people find challenging to do". [Churchland] Yet, it must

This essay assesses property dualism, a theory of mind. It proclaims the existence of a single, physical substance (unlike Cartesian dualism), but argues that this single substance has two potential properties: physical and mental states that are not reducible.

Thesis: The mind-body problem arises because of the lack of evidence when looking for a specific explanation of the interaction of mental and physical states, and the origin and even existence of them.

Substance dualism argues that minds and bodies are made up of two separate substances, which are connected and interact in the body, but are fundamentally different in nature and composition. In Descartes’ argument for substance dualism, also known as Cartesian Dualism, he states it is conceivable for a mind to exist without a body, but not for a body to exist without a mind. The notion of conceivability argues that whatever is conceivable is logically possible, and because Descartes claims that it is conceivable for a mind to exist without a body, it follows by the notion of conceivability that a disembodied mind would be logically possible. Therefore, Descartes claims, substance dualism is true.

The mind is perhaps the most fascinating part of the human body due to its complexity and ability to rationalize. In essence, the mind-body problem studies the relation of the mind to the body, and states that each human being seems to embody two unique and somewhat contradictory natures. Each human contains both a nature of matter and physicality, just like any other object that contains atoms in the universe. However, mankind also is constituted of something beyond materialism, which includes its ability to rationalize and be self-aware. This would imply that mankind is not simply another member of the world of matter because some of its most distinctive features cannot be accounted for in this manner. There are obvious differences between physical and mental properties. Physical properties are publically accessible, and have weight, texture, and are made of matter. Mental properties are not publically accessible, and have phenomenological texture and intentionality (Stewart, Blocker, Petrik, 2013). This is challenging to philosophers, because man cannot be categorized as a material or immaterial object, but rather a combination of both mind and body (Stewart, Blocker, Petrik, 2013). Man embodies mind-body dualism, meaning he is a blend of both mind and matter (Stewart, Blocker, Petrick, 2013). The mind-body problem creates conflict among philosophers, especially when analyzing physicalism in its defense. This paper outlines sound

I am faced with the philosophical task of defending either dualism or materialism, depending on which one is most attractive to me. So either I support the theory of dualism, which is the belief that there is both a physical and a spiritual state, or I believe in materialism, which is the belief that everything that exists is material or physical. Although I believe materialism to be easier to prove, I find dualism more attractive to believe. Throughout the following, I will attempt to build a case for the theory of dualism giving insights both documented and personal. I will also shed light on the theory of materialism and the proofs that support this theory; showing that

The mind-body is made up of physical and mental properties. The physical properties “have a certain weight, shape, etc., and are publicly accessible” (Osmundsen, 2016), whereas, with the mental properties “there is a raw qualitative feel to have a mental state” (Osmundsen, 2016). These two properties cause many problems within human life, however there are five major problems arising about the mind and body. The majority of people do not put enough thought into these problems, but they are very important to understand. This paper will include those five different complications with the mind and body, give an argument for dualism, give a response for the argument, and include an opinion for the argument that is stronger and why it is stronger.

“The mind-body dualism, in philosophy, is the fact that any theory that the mind and body are distinct kinds of substances or natures. This position implies that mind and body not only differ in meaning, but refer to different kinds of entities (Britannica).” The most basic form of dualism is substance dualism. Substance dualism is the idea that he mind and body are composed of two ontologically distinct substances. According to one who believes and studies dualism, the mind is comprised of a non-physical substance, while the body is constituted of the physical substance, also known as matter. Dualism is closely related to the philosophy of Rene Descartes. Descartes identified the mind with consciousness and self-awareness and distinguished this from the brain. He believed that the brain was the seat of all intelligence. This lead to a great debate over the mind and body. So, ultimately, what is the nature of the mind and consciousness and its relationship to the body?

Descartes’ mind-body dualism establishes the mind as an immaterial, non-extendable entity, which engages in the processes of thinking, imagining, reasoning, and feeling. He distinguishes matter as the material substance that is extendable, and conforms to the mechanistic laws of physics. He believes the human mind (immaterial) and the human body (material) are clearly distinct from each other, yet they interact with each other , with the former causing the latter to act by causing mental events.

In The Concept of Mind, Gilbert Ryle labels the theory for mind-body dualism as “The Dogma of the Ghost in the Machine” (Ryle, 5). The argument for mind-body dualism states that two substances exist: physical substances and mental substances. ‘Physical substances are composed of matter’ (Ryle, 3). Moreover, physical substances are beings like bodies; they have a spatial location, but they cannot think. In comparison, ‘mental substances consist of consciousness’ (Ryle, 3). Mental substances are beings like minds; they can think, but they do not have a spatial location. Furthermore, the theory for mind-body dualism states that every living person has both a mind, which is a mental substance, and a body, which is a physical substance, and that the mind interacts with the body. Thus, when Ryle speaks of the ghost in a machine, he is referring to the idea that there exists a mental substance, a mind, which exists inside of the body, a physical substance. The mind is the ghost, which is inside the body,