Regarding the mind and body, we cannot say that materialism is correct because there is nothing to prove that the mind is not its own entity. Rather, the Cartesian Dualism view is a possible alternative as the mind is dependent on the body and vice versa. Paul Churchland raises several arguments against dualism and in order to evaluate his objections, it is crucial to understand the concepts of substance dualism as well as its opposite, materialism, and how they differ from one another. Substance dualism is the view that there are two different substances, a mental non-physical thing (ie, a mind or a soul) and a physical material object (ie, a brain). Materialism is the view that suggests that everything in the world is physical and that a
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Churchland makes the argument for neural dependence, stating that “if there really is a distinct entity in which…consciousness takes place…one would expect…consciousness to be relatively invulnerable to direct control…manipulation or damage to the brain” (Churchland, 287). For example, if an individual were to have a few alcohol drinks, the individual becomes impaired. If the two were in fact separate entities, then the mind should not be affected at all by the alcohol. Evidently, this is not the case, as our thoughts become disorientated and our senses become weakened. It is the brain that is being flooded with strange toxins, not the mind, yet both are still under the influence. This argument presented by Churchland is perhaps the strongest point he makes in support of materialism because it manages to weaken a substance dualist’s argument by proving that there is some sort of connection between the two. However, the connection is not that the mind and brain are one and the same, because as mentioned earlier, everyone has a unique “I” of their own despite physical DNA similarities. The connection is that the two interact with each other and rely on each other to work.
The mind and the brain are often seen as one, and reasonably so, yet the distinction between them still exists. Each human brain is made up of the same physical substance and because of this reason it would be logical to assume that everyone has the same brain. Yet, it is evident that the way one individual thinks can be completely different from another. This is where the mind comes in, a separate, indivisible, substance responsible for the “I” that each person is. While they exist as separate substances, they depend on one another to function and frequently interact with each other to
Churchland makes the argument for neural dependence, stating that “if there really is a distinct entity in which…consciousness takes place…one would expect…consciousness to be relatively invulnerable to direct control…manipulation or damage to the brain” (Churchland, 287). For example, if an individual were to have a few alcohol drinks, the individual becomes impaired. If the two were in fact separate entities, then the mind should not be affected at all by the alcohol. Evidently, this is not the case, as our thoughts become disorientated and our senses become weakened. It is the brain that is being flooded with strange toxins, not the mind, yet both are still under the influence. This argument presented by Churchland is perhaps the strongest point he makes in support of materialism because it manages to weaken a substance dualist’s argument by proving that there is some sort of connection between the two. However, the connection is not that the mind and brain are one and the same, because as mentioned earlier, everyone has a unique “I” of their own despite physical DNA similarities. The connection is that the two interact with each other and rely on each other to work.
The mind and the brain are often seen as one, and reasonably so, yet the distinction between them still exists. Each human brain is made up of the same physical substance and because of this reason it would be logical to assume that everyone has the same brain. Yet, it is evident that the way one individual thinks can be completely different from another. This is where the mind comes in, a separate, indivisible, substance responsible for the “I” that each person is. While they exist as separate substances, they depend on one another to function and frequently interact with each other to