Explain The Arguments Against Naturalistic Dualism

Words: 1316
Pages: 6
Open Document
A Defense of Naturalistic Dualism

Naturalistic dualism states in the mind-body problem that 1) the body is physical, 2) the mind is nonphysical, and 3) the mind and body causally interact. Additionally, naturalistic dualists question the factuality of statement four, which says that the physical (body) and nonphysical (mind) cannot causally interact according to physics. Taking a stance on naturalistic dualism, I believe subjective experiences and consciousness exist. I will address arguments against this regarding brain processes. Secondly, I trust that with persistent scientific research and radical ideas, laws of consciousness will be found separate from physical laws. The existence of separate laws would combat the physicalistic argument for the Law of Conservation of Energy. Subjective experiences and consciousness exist, and physical laws will be found separate from psychophysical laws.

Subjective experiences are something only an individual can experience and perceive. For example, when someone is …show more content…
In physics today, there are still many unknowns. Theories such as the Big Bang theory or the theory of evolution are exactly what their name says; they are theories. While they are backed by significant amounts of science, these are still theories. This means that there could be future theories regarding consciousness that can be strongly backed by science as well. It must be acknowledged that science has not proven everything yet, and new theories and facts can arise. Naturalistic dualism addresses the idea that psychophysical laws may be found and proven, just as electromagnetism has been shown to be separate from traditional physical laws. I believe consciousness will be proven through future scientific research and ideas. Subjective experiences and consciousness should not be considered nonexistent, as it is still possible for new laws to be found to support
Show More

Related Documents: Explain The Arguments Against Naturalistic Dualism

Gertler Defends Naturalistic Dualism

In the paper, Gertler defends naturalistic dualism. Physicalists believe that pain is a direct connection to the c-fibers stimulation, and a human can’t feel and experience pain without the stimulation of c-fibers. Gertler argues that identity thesis is false and her main point is to prove that there is fallacious in physicalism. She gives her premises to give a valid argument to show that even though there is an absence in a physical property, pain can still occur in that physical state. Gertler…

Words 644 - Pages 3

Essay on McDowell and Blackburn

John McDowell sees the problem of experience as a symptom of the presumed dualism of nature and reason: we can understand experience in naturalistic ways, as the entirely causal sequence of events in which the world “impinges” on my body, brain, and sensory receptors, but if we do so, we must abandon the attempt to understand the process of arriving at beliefs as a normative activity. We see this in the dilemma that plagued Popper, for instance, in his attempt to articulate what “empirical content”…

Words 5631 - Pages 23