Comparing Physicalists with Dualists

Steven Mowery PHL 101 Assignment # 1 J.P. Moreland: “A Contemporary Defense of Dualism” Page 305 In his writings, “A Contemporary Defense of Dualism,” J.P. Moreland argues the point that the mind and brain are separate from each other. It seems as a quick thought that both are the same. However, the mind deals with ideas, thoughts and hopes. The brain is made up of the neural process. Throughout the entire argument, Moreland tries to prove the theory of physicalism, which is the idea that only things that exist are composed of matter. His explanation is that the soul doesn’t exist and the brain controls everything.

I would like to begin this paper by addressing what question I hope to answer through the entirety of this paper: is the mind physical? As simple as this question may seem to be, there still, to this day, is not a definite answer. There are, mostly, two approaches to answering this problem, through dualism or physicalism. The dualist, for the purposes of this paper, simply believes that the mind and the body are not equal and therefore, they are not one in the same. The physicalist, however, would come back to say that there are no such things as non-physical objects and therefore, they would conclude that the body and the mind are both physical. After weighing on both sides of this argument, I am going to defend the physicalist ideas and

According to J.P. Moreland in his argument for dualism, he states that humans are composed of both an immaterial substance and a physical substance. Moreland notes that there are contrasting differences between the minds and the brains and that they are ultimately separate entities. By defending dualism, Moreland seeks to make nonbelievers believe in immaterial souls, while discrediting materialism. We can look at the arguments in which Moreland uses to support the argument of dualism and belief that the mind and brain are separate entities.

Classical dualism has a few points that are unclear. Swinburne says that you have a body under your control. The case presented of having your old mind in a new body and brain is questionable. Will you still have your morality in your new body and brain? Will you still have the same calling as you did in your old body and brain? Will you still have the same religious beliefs? These are all points that Swinburne failed to debate.

In this philosophy paper, I will be considering arguments against dualism and how dualism fails in spite of what Eccles says in his ‘Unitary Hypothesis of Mind-Brain Interaction in the Cerebral Cortex’ paper. I will begin by assessing arguments for the existence of the mind and soul and explain why they are no good. I will then offer counter-examples to support my thesis that materialism is the most persuasive argument, and will then analyse Eccles’s paper with reference to my counter examples.

Aristotle’s Hylomorphism revolves around the idea that soul and body are connected, and both equally important for the existence of human beings. Hylomorphism believes that the immaterial soul and the material body are interdependent of each other, and that both are required to be acknowledged as an actual human being. In a way, Hylomorphism can be thought of as the conjunction of materialism and dualism. Hylomorphism shares the same relevance of soul with Dualism, and body with Materialism. There are many factors that distinguish Hylomorphism however, and one of the most important is that Hylomorphism requires both soul and body for human existence. This important characteristic is why Hylomorphism is superior to Dualism, because Dualism revolves around ideas that have been scientifically disproven.

Are the mind and the brain one unit? Well, depending on who you ask, you will get a different answer. Monists believe the brain and mind are one entity and dualists believe they are separate. I think the mind and the brain are two very different parts of what make us who we are, making me a dualist. The brain, specifically the brain stem, is what keeps us alive. The mind, you could argue, is not as important to keeping us alive, but it is what gives us each a personality and identity. Our minds are ever changing, learning from our mistakes and forming our ethics and morals. The mind and the brain function together harmoniously, but are not one in the same.

Functionalism, one of the most influential and widespread theories of mind of our day, proposes a model of human behaviour based on the way certain inputs are processed when the mind is in a given state, to yield certain outputs. This theory concerns itself only what mental states do, rather

The mind-body problem is an age-old topic in philosophy that questions the relationship between the mental aspect of life, such as the field of beliefs, pains, and emotions, and the physical side of life which deals with matter, atoms, and neurons. There are four concepts that each argue their respective sides. For example, Physicalism is the belief that humans only have a physical brain along with other physical structures, whereas Idealism argues that everything is mind-based. Furthermore, Materialism argues that the whole universe is purely physical. However, the strongest case that answers the commonly asked questions such as “Does the mind exist?” and “Is the mind your brain?” is Dualism.

Mind and Body problem has remained a mystery for ages and maybe, it will remain a mystery forever because there is no real answer to this problem. This is because one can either believe it scientifically or one can believe religiously, both are distinct in their own arguments. Philosophers have struggled to explain this problem for many centuries. This metaphysical problem arises from two basic observations-we have a mind as in a soul and thoughts, and we have a physical body as in movements and events. There are two well known explanations to the mind and body problem. They are known as dualism and physicalism also known as materialism.

“The mind-body dualism, in philosophy, is the fact that any theory that the mind and body are distinct kinds of substances or natures. This position implies that mind and body not only differ in meaning, but refer to different kinds of entities (Britannica).” The most basic form of dualism is substance dualism. Substance dualism is the idea that he mind and body are composed of two ontologically distinct substances. According to one who believes and studies dualism, the mind is comprised of a non-physical substance, while the body is constituted of the physical substance, also known as matter. Dualism is closely related to the philosophy of Rene Descartes. Descartes identified the mind with consciousness and self-awareness and distinguished this from the brain. He believed that the brain was the seat of all intelligence. This lead to a great debate over the mind and body. So, ultimately, what is the nature of the mind and consciousness and its relationship to the body?

Dualism is a broad term that can encompass many areas within philosophy itself. In aspect to metaphysics, it classifies the types of entities in the world into two subcategories, physical and non physical substance. While this may appear to be a very wide and ambiguous opinion, it becomes very specific in regards to our own existence. Paul Churchland puts it very explicitly in his book Matter and Consciousness, and defines dualism as the idea that, “the essential nature of conscious intelligence resides in something nonphysical” (Churchland 1). Though dualism is a highly regarded and popular view on the state of existence, its core arguments present an array of problems that detract from the credibility of its

     For centuries philosophers have debated on monism and dualism, two different philosophical views of the human person. Philosophers have been trying to decipher whether the person is made up of the mind, the body, or both. Monists hold the belief that existence is purely based upon one ultimate “category of being” this means that either the person is made up of only the body or only the mind (Morris p155). Dualists hold the belief that existence is based upon the body as well as the mind and its mental properties (Morris p155).

Section 1: I believe there is a soul, which also is the mind, and a physical body. The argument that supports my belief the best will generate from the concept of a persons thoughts. I reject the belief that everything that is real must be in physical form.

What is a soul? The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal regarded as immortal. Many Philosophers studied the soul in several ways in order to get the point of what is the soul. Although sometimes it is confusing to understand what is meant because it is explained in other ways and used in examples. The Philosopher Aristotle came to the conclusion that the soul is the first grade of actuality of a natural organized body. He uses it in the axe and eye as examples but yes it might be confusing but at the end it will make sense in what he means.