Name: ……
What is Mind?
Tue/Thur 3pm
[type the date submitted here]
PHI-103, Dr. Holland
Introduction
The purpose of this essay, I will be discussing and addressing the mind body problem. In
this paper, I will argue that substance dualism is the correct answer to the mind body problem. I
will describe what the mind body problem even is, followed by a quick summary of all four
views of the mind body, and finish it off with defending why substance dualism is the correct
view to the mind body problem.
Section 1: The Mind-Body Problem Described
The mind-body problem is the problem that we have trying to figure out exactly what we
are as a person and/or creature, given that a person does have a physical existence, but they also
seem to have a mental existence as well. For instance, we have our mind which holds our
feelings and our thoughts and some of those feelings have nothing to do with your physical self.
You cannot measure someone’s mind, but you can measure their brain because that is the
physical part. You can weigh a brain for an exact weight or size, but the brain and the mind are
two totally different things.
Section 2: Summary of the Four Views
The first view I will be talking about is the type-identity physicalism view. Simply put,
the type-identity is a view on the relationship between the mind and body, saying that only
physical things and actions, can later bring physical effects. In other words, there are types of
mental states that are identical to types of mental states. For example, all states of the type of
“pain” you feel, are the same as physical states of the type “c-fiber firing”.
© 2022. Grand Canyon University. All Rights e |1
Reserved.
, The next view I will be describing is the Functionalism Physicalism. Functionalism is
the view about the nature of mental states. Instead of identifying mental states by what they are
made of, they identify them by what they do. Mental states are connected to people because they
only function as an explanation for their behavior they are observing. This is basically the
functionalist model plus physicalism. Only physical states can cause other physical states and
this view also avoids the problem of multiple realizability.
The third view I will be explaining is the property dualism theory. To briefly describe it,
this view is saying that the mental starts are caused by the physical states, but the mental states
cause nothing. The dualist property thinks that a human is really only a physical thing, but they
also think there is something that is non-physical that is a piece of our existence.
The fourth and final view and the view that I believe is most correct is the Substance
Dualism view. This is the view that one human being is composed of two different kinds of
substances. One being mental and one being physical, and they both equally make up a human.
The mental substances are not physical substances, and the physical substances are not mental
substances. They are just their own things.
Section 3: Substance Dualism Defended
Substance dualism is the belief that if the mind is not physical, it cannot interact
with the physical body. There are a few different arguments to help defend the substance dualism
view, but the two that I best believe fit is the Intentionality argument, and the Agency and free
will argument. Intentionality are mental states that have intentions, or intendings. They are like
the states that, “Are about, of, for, or towards things other than themselves. Desires, beliefs,
loves, hates, perceptions and memories are common intentional states.” (Calef, Dualism and
Mind). We can have all of those feelings at the same time. However, brain states cannot
plausibly
What is Mind?
Tue/Thur 3pm
[type the date submitted here]
PHI-103, Dr. Holland
Introduction
The purpose of this essay, I will be discussing and addressing the mind body problem. In
this paper, I will argue that substance dualism is the correct answer to the mind body problem. I
will describe what the mind body problem even is, followed by a quick summary of all four
views of the mind body, and finish it off with defending why substance dualism is the correct
view to the mind body problem.
Section 1: The Mind-Body Problem Described
The mind-body problem is the problem that we have trying to figure out exactly what we
are as a person and/or creature, given that a person does have a physical existence, but they also
seem to have a mental existence as well. For instance, we have our mind which holds our
feelings and our thoughts and some of those feelings have nothing to do with your physical self.
You cannot measure someone’s mind, but you can measure their brain because that is the
physical part. You can weigh a brain for an exact weight or size, but the brain and the mind are
two totally different things.
Section 2: Summary of the Four Views
The first view I will be talking about is the type-identity physicalism view. Simply put,
the type-identity is a view on the relationship between the mind and body, saying that only
physical things and actions, can later bring physical effects. In other words, there are types of
mental states that are identical to types of mental states. For example, all states of the type of
“pain” you feel, are the same as physical states of the type “c-fiber firing”.
© 2022. Grand Canyon University. All Rights e |1
Reserved.
, The next view I will be describing is the Functionalism Physicalism. Functionalism is
the view about the nature of mental states. Instead of identifying mental states by what they are
made of, they identify them by what they do. Mental states are connected to people because they
only function as an explanation for their behavior they are observing. This is basically the
functionalist model plus physicalism. Only physical states can cause other physical states and
this view also avoids the problem of multiple realizability.
The third view I will be explaining is the property dualism theory. To briefly describe it,
this view is saying that the mental starts are caused by the physical states, but the mental states
cause nothing. The dualist property thinks that a human is really only a physical thing, but they
also think there is something that is non-physical that is a piece of our existence.
The fourth and final view and the view that I believe is most correct is the Substance
Dualism view. This is the view that one human being is composed of two different kinds of
substances. One being mental and one being physical, and they both equally make up a human.
The mental substances are not physical substances, and the physical substances are not mental
substances. They are just their own things.
Section 3: Substance Dualism Defended
Substance dualism is the belief that if the mind is not physical, it cannot interact
with the physical body. There are a few different arguments to help defend the substance dualism
view, but the two that I best believe fit is the Intentionality argument, and the Agency and free
will argument. Intentionality are mental states that have intentions, or intendings. They are like
the states that, “Are about, of, for, or towards things other than themselves. Desires, beliefs,
loves, hates, perceptions and memories are common intentional states.” (Calef, Dualism and
Mind). We can have all of those feelings at the same time. However, brain states cannot
plausibly
