What is the Mind / Body debate?

What is the mind? Since the beginning of human civilization, prominent thinkers have grappled with the idea of consciousness. Could the study of our brain and nervous system account for conscious thought? If not, and if conscious thought is somehow disembodied, what are the causal relationships between the non-physical processes and the physical ones?

Dualism

Human beings are made up of two distinct parts; the physical body and the non-physical mind.

The Free Will Argument

The fact we have freewill means we must not be bound by the laws of physics. Explore

First Person Authority

Mental states are intrisically knowable, but physical states require inference and experience. Explore

The Knowledge Argument (Qualia)

Not all experiences can be reduced to physical processes. Explore

Property Dualism

Mental phenomena need physical phenomena to exist, but both are different entities. Explore

Idealism

Idealists believe that only the mind exists and everything that we perceive in the physical world is merely a composition.

Hemiplegic Stroke Victims

A case study. Explore

Materialism

Humans are made out of purely physical matter.

Evolution

Darwin's theory of evolution. Explore

Neurology

The progresses made in neurological science Explore

Ockham’s Razor

The simplest explanation is always the strongest. Explore

Theory-Theory

Beliefs are constructed from experiences. Explore

Functionalism

Our mental states can be reduced to a functional response to a stimulus.

Putnam's Functionalism

Hilary Putnam was a strong proponent of functionalism. Explore

The Weakness of Materialism

Functionalism relies on the failure of materialism. Explore

This page was last edited on Tuesday, 10 Sep 2019 at 21:34 UTC

Mapping the world's opinions