Essay On Mind Body Problem

In Philosophy, there is the well known concept of the mind-body problem. The mind-body problem explains how mental states such as beliefs, actions, and thinking are related to physical states of an individual (Stewart, p.137, 2012). The basic issue of the mind body problem is the understanding how a body can have a mind inside of it that is controlling it. A frequent question asked is are we only matter or are we matter and mind? There are four philosophical positions including; type identity theory physicalism, functionalist physicalism, property dualism, and substance dualism that have different approaches to the concept of the mind-body problem. After research and comparing each position, I have found a more suitable understanding to the …show more content…
As a Christian, I believe that we were born to have the ability to make choices. God gave us free will, he did his only son to die on the cross for our sins. That is also where in some cases predestination does get in the way, where some believe that people are born a certain way, God chose his followers, and destined to accomplish certain tasks. For instance, a prisoners had a choice to not kill someone or abuse another person but they chose to make the wrong choice and are now facing the consequences of prison. Which goes along with the concept of materialism, “if every motion of the body is determined by the law of physics then all the actions and reactions of the universe are being controlled (Calef, n.d.).” If every motion was determined by the law of physics free will and everyone’s sense of self would not exist there would be no sense of individuality that makes each person different, and there would also be no sense of morals to justify any action. These are the choices that individuals can make and are not controlled by because of free will. “The mind may be non-physical, but one is not bound by the physical laws” (Calef,