manopjk / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Types of Dualism
There are several kinds of dualism.
Here are some of the most popular.
Rene Descartes was a key proponent of this view.
manopjk / iStock / Getty Images Plus
That is, while the mind has non-physical properties, they emerge from the brain, a physical substance.
Epistemological Dualism
Epistemological dualism deals with the nature of knowledge, according to Tierney.
Tierney says that philosopher Immanuel Kant has some sense of this in his work.
Knowledge, reason, and facts are objective, while belief, faith and values are subjective.
This has been resolved in different ways by different kinds of thinkers.
That is, the mind and body stand in contrast as two separate systems.
As Boscaljon says, This often gets to the chicken and egg problem.
Some believe consciousness came first while others believe matter or the physical came first.
This supports dualism and tends to lead to another kind of dualism:nature versus nurture.
Criticisms of Dualism
Criticisms of dualism include the following.
the mental and the physical.
If the mind and the body interact like this, they cant be separate the way dualists claim.
As a result, scientists who believe in this argue against dualism.
Neuroscience is, thus, a strong voice against dualism.
Dualism in Different Fields
Dualism shows up in a variety of fields.
There are several kinds of dualism including substance, property, and epistemological dualism.
While there are arguments both for and against dualism, its hard not to appreciate this viewpoint.
Entire philosophies have been built around binaries such as mind-body, good-bad, subject-object, and one-many.
Philosophy of Mind: A Very Short Introduction.
The Basics of Philosophy.
Physics 419, Lecture 21.
Weisberg J.The Hard Problem of Consciousness.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Hawkes G.Hey, Neuroscience, Why Cant We Be Friends?
Objections to Substance Dualism (Part 1).
