The Mind-Brain Problem Concerning Dualism and Materialism

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The Mind-Brain Problem Concerning Dualism and Materialism

I am faced with the philosophical task of defending either dualism or materialism, depending on which one is most attractive to me. So either I support the theory of dualism, which is the belief that there is both a physical and a spiritual state, or I believe in materialism, which is the belief that everything that exists is material or physical. Although I believe materialism to be easier to prove, I find dualism more attractive to believe. Throughout the following, I will attempt to build a case for the theory of dualism giving insights both documented and personal. I will also shed light on the theory of materialism and the proofs that support this theory; showing that although materialism has a strong argument, essentially, it the less attractive of the two.

What I find most appealing about dualism is the belief in the soul and body, spirit and matter. Although materialism is a valid theory scientifically and philosophically, I find dualism to cover a wider spectrum of possibilities. I do not believe that our body and our thoughts and everything that surrounds us are a result of the physical. Materialism removes any problems of relatedness between mind and body by eliminating the spiritual altogether. But as I will show, materialism might have the upper hand in proof but it cannot fulfill or support my need for the spiritual like dualism can.

Dualism supports the possibility that when a person dies, their body might die but their soul continues. It allows one to at least consider this notion along with many others of the spiritual realm. The existence of God, miracles, and unexplained phenomena are just a few things dualism supports...

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...gh the previous three arguments, then materialism violates Leibniz's Law.

From an objective point of view I can see how someone would believe in materialism, but for me, dualism has so much more to offer. Dualism might not hold up as well scientifically as materialism, but to me it holds up better spiritually. So, obviously it is easy for a materialist to rule out dualism based on scientific knowledge. More than likely because he or she is looking solely at the physical and not even giving thought to the spiritual because materialism has ruled out this possibility. I guess I can see that if you accept the premise that everything that exists is material then there really is no validity to considering the spiritual. But to me, my life makes more sense if there is something to consider beyond the material because so much of my life revolves around the spiritual.

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