Substance Dualism Analysis

In this essay, I will discuss and formally analyze the opinions in approval of substance dualism and conclude that substance dualism is without a doubt an accurate way of thinking. Firstly, it is important to describe what exactly what I mean by substance dualism. Basically, it asks a very menial question such as: what kind of thing is our mind? According to substance dualists aka Descartes, "the mind and the body are composed of different substances and that the mind is a thinking thing that lacks the usual attributes of physical objects such as size, shape, location etc." [Descartes] Substance dualism is then tested by different opinions which in return vouch for its soundness.

In this paper, I will examine the principal merits and challenges of René Descartes’ concept of dualism and then defend my preferred alternative among the options Paul M. Churchland discusses. After briefly defining Cartesian Dualism, I will show that its principal merits are that it is consistent with common sense and that it is able to explain phenomena that appear mental in nature. Next, I will show that its principal challenges are its failure to adequately explain how the mind and the body can causally interact, and its failure to respond to the observation that brain damage impairs the mind. Finally, I will explain why Functionalism is the best alternative to Cartesian Dualism.

Dualism claims that the mind is a distinct nonphysical thing, a complete entity that is independent of any physical body to which it is temporarily attached.

Keep in mind that a substance dualist argues that mental entities can exist separately from physical entities, and that physical entities can exist separately from mental entities. However, for there to be changes in a physical form, the object causing those changes must have two features that nonphysical objects lack: a spatial location and the ability to transfer energy. This is because in the process of physical causation, energy is being transferred from one location to another. There are many examples in which energy has been transferred from one spatial location to another. For example, when a stationary book on a table is being pushed, energy from the person pushing is being transferred to the book, which causes the book to move.

Substance dualism is a never ending argument in the Philosophy world as it’s been going on for decades. It is the view that the universe contains two important types of entity which is mental and material. The structure of this paper is that four main argument leads to one conclusion. Firstly, I’ll argue about Descartes’s ‘separability argument’ which stands as the definition of Substance Dualism. Secondly, I’ll argue that mental and physical have different and perhaps irreconcilable properties. An argument is not complete without a counter argument which in this case the “pairing” problem that exists in Descartes theory is highlighted and where is the interaction of material and immaterial takes

In this argument, the mental states is not connected to the physical body, which creates a dualism based on the “substance” of thought and body that are differentiated. The typical aspects of interactionism define the impact of external forces that occur outside of the brain, which are defined as having mental properties. In contrast to this experience, the human body is deemed as being separate from this external process of mental causality. substance dualism Descartes’ conceptualization of dualism typically defines this aspect of traditional dualism as a form of separation of these two differing interpretations of materials. The mind and the body, therefore, are completely different materials/states that have different ways of understanding human

Substance dualists say that there is no relationship between physical and mental entities, that persons and bodies are distinct. This leads to a conflict because mental entities such as our beliefs, feelings, inner thoughts, and any other mental attributes are usually thought to cause changes in physical events in the world. Actions would seem to be physical events that were caused by mental occurrences. For example, I experience hunger, so my body reacts by getting food. Another example is my body feels cold, and that causes me to shiver to maintain homeostasis. If actions are physical events with mental causes based on these examples, then persons, entities capable of mental properties, would have to interact causally with bodies, entities

This essay assesses property dualism, a theory of mind. It proclaims the existence of a single, physical substance (unlike Cartesian dualism), but argues that this single substance has two potential properties: physical and mental states that are not reducible.

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.

Summary: The problem of the soul continues as Descartes suggested that the human is composed of two completely different substances; a physical body which Descartes compares with a machine, and a non-physical mind, related to the soul, that allows humans to think and feel even if it has no “measurable dimensions” (67). But Elizabeth put in doubt his ideologies when she realized that a non-physical thing doesn’t have the strength to push and move the body. This led to several questions unanswered and also let space for other materialist theories such as behaviorism, mind-brain identity, and functionalism, which also fail in offering an explicit solution.

explanation of where our minds, or consciousness, came from and how we are able to

Dualism covers the issue that is concerned with the connection between the mind and the brain, and whether humans are composed of all physical matter or contain a mind along with a physical body. Dualism is the belief that humans have both a non-physical mind along with a physical body. There are two types of dualism, which include Substance Dualism and Property Dualism. Substance Dualism claims the mind exists independently from the body, and Property Dualism claims the brain causes the mind into existence. When compared to the other beliefs mentioned prior, Dualism provides strong arguments made by René Descartes and Gottfried Leibniz that help us understand and answer the questions previously mentioned. The main differences between Substance Dualism and Property Dualism are not far

A substance is a kind or type of being or existence. A substance, in contrast to a property, is self-standing, whereas a property can logically only exist as belonging to a substance. For example, a substance can be an object such as a human-body, where a property is only a quantifiable attribute of said body, such as the body’s height and/or weight. Moreover, throughout recorded human-history, there has been an ongoing debate regarding the number of substances that actually exist. Generally speaking, people fall into two different camps: monists and dualists. A monist holds the position that reality is only made up of one kind of substance; monists may differ in what this one substance actually is, but they can nonetheless agree that there is only one type of substance in existence. Contrarily, a dualist holds the position that reality is made up of more than one kind of substance. Dualists have classified reality into two distinct substances: physical substance(s) and mental substance(s). Physical substances are

“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?

In his Meditations Rene Descartes aimed to reconstruct the whole of science by trying to prove the distinction between mind and matter. He gives an argument from doubt, and another from conceivability. I will give a brief summary of the foundations Descartes builds his thesis on, and then looking at his arguments and whether they are capable of persuading us that dualism is a logical stance to hold.