Should we, as human beings, think of ourselves as made out of two different substances, like Decartes argued? Or are you persuaded by the arguments of physicalism that we are purely physical beings?
If you agree with Descartes, how would you explain the fact that our mental life seems to be very closely connected to a physical organ, namely the brain. If you agree with physicalism, how do you explain the fact that our mental life seems to be like nothing else in the physical world (think of how unique something like consciousness is, for example).
Write your thoughts on these issues
So the introduction to metaphysics in philosophy is by far the most controversial topic in my eyes. Dualism and physicalism both play opposite rolls in proving two different ends of the spectrum. Dualism is the belief which Descartes follows stating that the body is a physical being and the mind is a nonphysical entity which can not be explained by physics or science. Physicalism is a belief which follows the motto that the body is one physical entity which involoves the brain, the mind is non existant, and every mental function including decisions, thoughts, and choices are in the brain and can be explained physically.
Now as a person who is induced all this information at once i was concerned with my choice because i sided with both for specific reasons. I agreed with the dualist theory because i believe the things a mind can do are unexplainable, no physical evidence can prove any human behavior to be justified just because of what they think they know and conclude through our physical brains. However physicalism does support the brain as the main part of our bodies and accounts it for various mental interpretations and functions through the physical world.
After weighing my options in which to believe Descartes finally convinced me that dualism is more into my beliefs. He fought to support and agree with dualism in numerous ways which are all in the Basic Premise he wrote, all of his standpoints including The Argument from Doubt, The Argument from Divisibility, The Argument from Consciousness and so on. His strong arguments provided a basic take on the tradition that pertain to us as individuals and mental freedom, his exploration into the takes of consciousness and self-awareness harness a heavy load of mystery and provided me with all the notion i needed to side with dualism.
I do still believe that the brain helps the body function and creates certain physical explanations to how we respond to the world outside, but the mind and soul to me are separate and reach a higher standing, mentally, than the brain ever will. It accounts for the great enlightenment's in life, it pertains to the vague mysteries of our actions, and is something that will never be available to fully understand. As an open minded person i do look at both sides with perks however i portray in my opinion a more spiritual look upon the body as one entity and the mind as another. Though the physicalist's might tend to disagree i hope i did atleast fully explain why i chose the dualist form of metaphysics. The mind and soul are metaphysical and in a spiritual sense eternal, they are the traces of religion and the center of a person's inner beliefs and functions.
If you agree with Descartes, how would you explain the fact that our mental life seems to be very closely connected to a physical organ, namely the brain. If you agree with physicalism, how do you explain the fact that our mental life seems to be like nothing else in the physical world (think of how unique something like consciousness is, for example).
Write your thoughts on these issues
So the introduction to metaphysics in philosophy is by far the most controversial topic in my eyes. Dualism and physicalism both play opposite rolls in proving two different ends of the spectrum. Dualism is the belief which Descartes follows stating that the body is a physical being and the mind is a nonphysical entity which can not be explained by physics or science. Physicalism is a belief which follows the motto that the body is one physical entity which involoves the brain, the mind is non existant, and every mental function including decisions, thoughts, and choices are in the brain and can be explained physically.
Now as a person who is induced all this information at once i was concerned with my choice because i sided with both for specific reasons. I agreed with the dualist theory because i believe the things a mind can do are unexplainable, no physical evidence can prove any human behavior to be justified just because of what they think they know and conclude through our physical brains. However physicalism does support the brain as the main part of our bodies and accounts it for various mental interpretations and functions through the physical world.
After weighing my options in which to believe Descartes finally convinced me that dualism is more into my beliefs. He fought to support and agree with dualism in numerous ways which are all in the Basic Premise he wrote, all of his standpoints including The Argument from Doubt, The Argument from Divisibility, The Argument from Consciousness and so on. His strong arguments provided a basic take on the tradition that pertain to us as individuals and mental freedom, his exploration into the takes of consciousness and self-awareness harness a heavy load of mystery and provided me with all the notion i needed to side with dualism.
I do still believe that the brain helps the body function and creates certain physical explanations to how we respond to the world outside, but the mind and soul to me are separate and reach a higher standing, mentally, than the brain ever will. It accounts for the great enlightenment's in life, it pertains to the vague mysteries of our actions, and is something that will never be available to fully understand. As an open minded person i do look at both sides with perks however i portray in my opinion a more spiritual look upon the body as one entity and the mind as another. Though the physicalist's might tend to disagree i hope i did atleast fully explain why i chose the dualist form of metaphysics. The mind and soul are metaphysical and in a spiritual sense eternal, they are the traces of religion and the center of a person's inner beliefs and functions.
What I like here is that you explain in detail the reasoning that led you towards the dualist position. This is impressive.
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