Separation Of Mind And Body Analysis

Central to the field of cognitive science lies the mind/body problem, which questions “the relationship between mental properties and physical properties,” (Robinson). The dualist argues that the mind and body are two separate entities and that the mind only exists within the body, specifically the brain. Thus, aligned with this belief, many dualists also hold rationalist views, or that one may gain knowledge via a priori experience. The rationalist believes that “there are significant ways in which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of sense experience,” (Markie). Therefore, some knowledge exists without any input from the body and is a characteristic of the mind. As an analogy, consider the mind as a set volume of water. That water may be transferred between a variety of containers (long/short, wide/skinny, covered/uncovered, etc.). While the …show more content…
A primary example of such mind functioning is when a person dreams. In the dream state, and individual sees with their eyes open and feels without touching. The person is able to experience mental states and emotions, even when none of the senses is functioning. The separation of the mind and body is most evident in this state, as the mind remains very active while the body exerts minimal energy. Furthermore, the ability for an individual to empathize with another individual highlights the separation of mind and body. When one person may go through an experience, another person may feel the emotional or even physical effects of the experience. For example, many times when one person hurts their leg, another person cringes and may withdraw their own leg even though the injury did not occur to that person. This effect of empathy and mental states in the dream state displays how mental states may form and the mind can function independent of a body or via a body disconnected from the individual who experiences the