The Mind-body Problem

Dualism

A set of ideas or beliefs about reality that says the world and universe around us is made of two different, if it is the right word at all, kinds of “thing.” On the one hand, the physical and on the other, the non-physical.

Physical versus Non-physical

Physical things. All physical things have essential qualities or characteristics. They have a shape or form and have a certain weigh or mass. They exist in time and space. Simple examples of these are cars, chairs, tables, buildings, our bodies, etc. We can experience them through our senses.

Non-physical “things”

All non-physical things do not have a shape or form and do not have a certain weight or mass. They do not seem to exist in time and space. Examples of these are our sense of self, reason, ideas, thoughts, free will, consciousness, spirit, mind, etc.

Science Says

Science can tell us how one physical object can have an effect on another physical object. For example. If we stand dominoes in a line, as soon as the first in the line is knocked over, all the others will fall over too. This is the basic law of cause and effect and is true for all physical objects in the universe.

However, if I attempt to make the first domino in the line fall, not by using my finger, but by only the power of my mind, just by thinking about it, people would laugh at me. We know that, following the universal law of cause and effect, a non-physical mind cannot have any effect on any physical object.

If we accept this, though, then how can we explain how my mind is capable of moving my physical finger into position to knock the first domino over? There is no actual difference between me trying to move that first domino with my mind and moving my physical finger with my mind. Under the law of cause and effect, it cannot happen.

The Mind and Body Connection

How then can dualism explain the relationship between the mind and the body? Science cannot. We know there is a very close relationship between the mind and the body from our everyday experience of ourselves. We cannot leave our minds at home and go out to the shops with only our bodies or vice-versa. Wherever one goes, the other is sure to follow.

The Importance of the Mind

We could, of course, avoid the challenge of having to explain the connection between the mind and the body by simply viewing ourselves as only a physical brain with a physical body. Yet, the reason most of us do not want to give up on a non-physical mind is that if we are only a physical brain and body, then we are no different from any other animal. Without our minds, we lose our sense of self, consciousness, the ability to reason, and the ability to choose. In short, we lose our sense of self and with it our sense of humanity.