Dualism vs Materialism The mind/body problem, the question of what is the relationship between the mind and the body, is commonly seen as a key issue in the philosophy of the mind (Sober, 2013, p. 204). The two categories of views discussed in Sober’s ‘Core Questions in Philosophy’ that attempt to resolve the mind/body problem are dualism and materialism. Dualism is the theory that the mind and the brain are two fundamentally different substances (Sober, 2013, p. 204). Conversely, materialism says that matter is the one and only fundamental substance in nature, and the notion that mental phenomena are a result of physical interactions follows (Sober, 2013, p. 204). In this paper, I will be discussing various strengths and weaknesses of Cartesian
…show more content…
He added that the mental cannot exist outside the body, and the body cannot think (Sober, 2013). However, he did not deny that interactions took place between the two such that, for example, Advil can be used to treat headaches or desires can make the body move (Sober, 2013, p. 204). On the other hand, the Mind/Brain Identity Theory holds that the mind and the brain are one and the same object. Moreover, it claims that mental events can be correlated with physical events in the brain, such that, for example, headaches are a result of specific changes of chemical activity in the brain (Sober, 2013, p. …show more content…
To clarify, consider that although the understanding of the mind is incomplete in a neurophysiological perspective, as science advances more and more testable properties of the brain are being discovered. For example, in the past it was unclear what love is scientifically. We now know love as the work of hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain triggering feelings of euphoria bonding. This example illustrates how, in due time, it is possible that the Identity Theory will prevail over dualism. Similarly, Sober brings up the example of water and the discovery of H2O (Sober, 2013, pp. 204-205). The term water has been used for a long time, however we only recently (on a relative timescale) discovered H2O. These examples show the clear progression of Identity Theory as opposed to dualism, which lacks any clear
He added that the mental cannot exist outside the body, and the body cannot think (Sober, 2013). However, he did not deny that interactions took place between the two such that, for example, Advil can be used to treat headaches or desires can make the body move (Sober, 2013, p. 204). On the other hand, the Mind/Brain Identity Theory holds that the mind and the brain are one and the same object. Moreover, it claims that mental events can be correlated with physical events in the brain, such that, for example, headaches are a result of specific changes of chemical activity in the brain (Sober, 2013, p. …show more content…
To clarify, consider that although the understanding of the mind is incomplete in a neurophysiological perspective, as science advances more and more testable properties of the brain are being discovered. For example, in the past it was unclear what love is scientifically. We now know love as the work of hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain triggering feelings of euphoria bonding. This example illustrates how, in due time, it is possible that the Identity Theory will prevail over dualism. Similarly, Sober brings up the example of water and the discovery of H2O (Sober, 2013, pp. 204-205). The term water has been used for a long time, however we only recently (on a relative timescale) discovered H2O. These examples show the clear progression of Identity Theory as opposed to dualism, which lacks any clear