Section 1.2
The alternative: physicalism
The idea that everything is physical is not always obvious; what reasons do we have to believe that everything in the natural world is made from physical things? And what do we mean by physicalism? Let us answer the second question, and then prepare the way to answer the first question. Papineau (1993) suggests that physicalism is “the thesis that all natural phenomena are, in a sense to be made precise, physical” (Papineau, 1993, p. 1). Natural phenomena are for example, chemical processes such as fruit oxidation or physical process like the boiling point of water; likewise, biological processes seems to be made of chemical and physical processes; for example, right now in your brain there is plenty …show more content…
In other words, even if the mind is the result of brain activity, once the mind appears it is just inactive, with no effects on the physical universe whatsoever – our beliefs, desires, emotions, feelings or mood or experience does not have any effect in our bodies.
For several reasons this epiphenomenalist view seems implausible. Firstly, it is a kind of dualist position; in other words, under this view, the mental and the physical are two different things or different properties, and consequently this view try to answer the problem of interaction in just one way: from the physical to the mental. Secondly, every day we experience beliefs and desires, and our body reacts to them, if there is some pain we may feel uncomfortable and then we may look for some medicine; decision, beliefs and experiences all have effects on the body; moreover, empirical research suggests that meditation techniques affect brain structure (Lazar, S. W. et al. , 2005; Vestergaard-Poulsen, P. et al. , 2009). Obviously the fact that mental activity can cause physical events in the brain is further evidence that the mind has an effect upon the physical. Moreover, Papineau (1993) suggest that “Every mental event causes some physical effects” (Papineau, 1993, p.22), and accordingly Papineau suggest that “[your arm rising] has two causes a mental cause, your decision, and also a physical cause, your neurons firing” (Papineau, 1993, p.
The alternative: physicalism
The idea that everything is physical is not always obvious; what reasons do we have to believe that everything in the natural world is made from physical things? And what do we mean by physicalism? Let us answer the second question, and then prepare the way to answer the first question. Papineau (1993) suggests that physicalism is “the thesis that all natural phenomena are, in a sense to be made precise, physical” (Papineau, 1993, p. 1). Natural phenomena are for example, chemical processes such as fruit oxidation or physical process like the boiling point of water; likewise, biological processes seems to be made of chemical and physical processes; for example, right now in your brain there is plenty …show more content…
In other words, even if the mind is the result of brain activity, once the mind appears it is just inactive, with no effects on the physical universe whatsoever – our beliefs, desires, emotions, feelings or mood or experience does not have any effect in our bodies.
For several reasons this epiphenomenalist view seems implausible. Firstly, it is a kind of dualist position; in other words, under this view, the mental and the physical are two different things or different properties, and consequently this view try to answer the problem of interaction in just one way: from the physical to the mental. Secondly, every day we experience beliefs and desires, and our body reacts to them, if there is some pain we may feel uncomfortable and then we may look for some medicine; decision, beliefs and experiences all have effects on the body; moreover, empirical research suggests that meditation techniques affect brain structure (Lazar, S. W. et al. , 2005; Vestergaard-Poulsen, P. et al. , 2009). Obviously the fact that mental activity can cause physical events in the brain is further evidence that the mind has an effect upon the physical. Moreover, Papineau (1993) suggest that “Every mental event causes some physical effects” (Papineau, 1993, p.22), and accordingly Papineau suggest that “[your arm rising] has two causes a mental cause, your decision, and also a physical cause, your neurons firing” (Papineau, 1993, p.