Dualism And Physicalism

Running Head: DUALISM VERSUS PHYSICALISM 1

Dualism versus Physicalism

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DUALISM VERSUS PHYSICALISM 2

Introduction

The debate on whether the intelligence or conscious form, mind, in people is a physical

phenomenon or one that is immaterial is found in various fields of study. The debate pertains to

both meta-physics and psychology. The most common of positions concerning the issue are

dualism and physicalism. This paper will explain both the concepts of dualism and physicalism.

Dualism on its part holds that the soul or mind is made up of an immaterial substance. According

to dualists, this immaterial substance cannot be located in space and time, and indeed transcends

space and time. This view holds that the purpose of brain is only to act as an antenna that connects

the body of a person to the immaterial mind (Pratt, 2017). The implication of this is that destruction

of the body or the brain does not lead to destruction of the mind.

On the contrary, the physicalists oppose the view that the mind is an immaterial substance

and instead advance the concept that the mind is a physical phenomenon. In this sense, the mind

is composed of physical objects which are the cells of the brain or neurons, which are then made

up of atoms at the smallest level. This view holds that the mind and the brain are synonymous with

the mind being a product of the connections between neurons (Pratt, 2017). The implication of this

view is that destruction of the body and/or the brain leads to destruction of the mind as well. In

this essay, I am going to show that dualism is a more flawed view than physicalism, but this does

not mean physicalism is error-free. As my arguments will show, this view comes from both

psychology and philosophy.

If the soul or mind were immaterial, where is it located? It cannot be in the universe because

all things in the universe are governed by physical law and are bound by space and time. The

argument by dualists that the mind is like gravity is only logical but impossible scientifically. This

argument would then call for complicated arguments. In addition, if such substances exist, how do

DUALISM VERSUS PHYSICALISM 3

they interact with the body and what rules govern this interaction? It is clear that dualism does not

qualify in explaining the state of the mind because it is very complicated and itself leads to more

complications.

Although the issue of dualism versus physicalism is considered to be a philosophical one,

it has a psychological dimension to it. The argument of psychology is in support of physicalism.

It looks at how drugs affect the brain. Ritalin and cocaine are identical in terms of chemical

characteristics and have effects on the neuron neurotransmitters, increasing dopaminergic feelings

(Koerner, 2017). This occurs physically. The drug is physical, with molecules and it affects the

neurotransmitters which are made up of atoms. This purely physical process has effects on the

soul/mind. If as the dualists claim, the soul/mind is immaterial, it could not be affected by this

physical process. Nothing immaterial can be affected by physical phenomenon, because

immaterial things are above the laws that govern physical things.

In conclusion, my arguments in this essay show that dualism is flawed more than

physicalism is, although this is not to say that there are no faults to physicalism. My arguments are

more scientific than philosophical. Science should be considered as a party to contribute in this

debate. It goes without saying that this debate has come about as a result of lack of knowledge on

this issue. It is worth noting that physicalism has its own flaws. My aim for the essay was to show

that dualism has more problems than physicalism.

DUALISM VERSUS PHYSICALISM 4

References

Koerner, B. (2017). Is Ritalin "chemically similar" to cocaine?. Slate Magazine. Retrieved 27

November 2017, from

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/01/is_ritalin_chemically

_similar_to_cocaine.html

Pratt, B. (2017). What Are the Key Concepts In the Physicalism/Dualism Debate?. Tough

Questions Answered. Retrieved 27 November 2017, from

http://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2012/03/14/what-are-the-key-concepts-in-the-

physicalismdualism-debate/

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