The Strengths and Weaknesses of Dualism - 4580 Words

Dualism is the belief that reality consists of two different, separate substances: that of the mental and that of the physical. In philosophy of mind, the belief that the mental and physical are deeply different in kind: thus the mental is at least not identical with the physical. It directly opposes materialism, as dualism dictates that the mind is unidentifiable to the body, as opposed to stating that the mind and body exist as one. The concept of dualism is not only fundamental in philosophy, but also affects our thoughts on science, religion and psychology: for example, if a convincing rejection of dualism can be formulated, the materialist approach of modern science will be vindicated. If, conversely, dualism can be convincingly†¦show more content†¦Aquinas agreed with the Artistotlean notion that when the soul entered the body it animated it and gave it life; calling it anima. Moreover according to Aquinas, the soul operates independently of the body and it cannot deca y; for only things that can break into parts can decay, Thus, following Aquinas argument, the soul is able to survive death. He also said that through the link with a particular human body, each soul becomes individual. So, even when a body dies, the soul that departs retains the individual identity of the body to which it was attached. Despite this earlier work, there was still no explanation of how the soul and body worked together, if at all. This was until Descartes (1596- 1650) who provided the fundamental writings on dualism with his work Meditiations on First Philosophy. Indeed, he is considered the father of modern philosophy and his Meditations lead to the school of dualistic ontology known as Cartesian Interactionist Dualism, which still inspires much thought and extension by modern philosophers today. Descartes defined the mind as all the feelings and sensations that he could describe, but which he could not locate physically. He then furthered this by saying that the mind is everything that is non-physical. Then without doubt I exist also if he deceives me, and let him deceive me as much as he will, he can never cause me to be nothing so long as I think I am something... it might possibly be the case if I ceasedShow MoreRelatedStrengths And Weaknesses Of Dualism1357 Words   |  6 Pagesprevailing thoughts in today’s age that try and make sense of the mind: monism, dualism and functionalism. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but all-in-all, I believe that dualism is the strongest theory. It supports my Christian belief system and best explains what has so far been unexplainable, as well as my felt experience. Before I break down its strengths in comparison to the other view point’s weaknesses, let me first briefly define and explain all the theories. Monism is the doctrineRead MoreWhat are the strengths and weaknesses of dualism and monism?1569 Words   |  7 PagesDualism and monism is a famous philosophy topic from ancient to now. The word Dualism means that our physical and our mental are independent. And our body and our mind cannot be the same. It is because of mind and body is two separate substances. In the contract, the monism means that both of the physical and mental are combined being one. And our mind and body are indivisible and are each influenced by the other. The monism and dualism individually has its strengths and weaknesses. The mindRead MoreCartesian Dualism vs Logical Behaviorism Essay1483 Words   |  6 Pagesto philosophy of the mind and discussed through a variety of arguments. Two of the most important arguments with this discussion are Cartesian dualism and logical behaviorism, both of which argue the philosophy of the mind in two completely different ways. Robert Lane, a professor at the University of West Georgia, define the two as follows: Cartesian dualism is the theory that the mind and body are two totally different things, capable of existing separately, and logical behaviorism is the theoryRead MoreExploring the Different Theories Involved in the Mind and Body Problem1654 Words   |  7 PagesProblem I will attempt to do this by firstly defining what the mind and body is secondly discussing what the mind and body problem is. Thirdly discussing the existing approaches to the problem and finally discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches. The body is that which we perceive ourselves to be with our senses. It usually includes arms, legs a head and so on. 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