After reading Chapter 4 and watching the video below on the mind-body problem, do the following:

this discussion post has 2 parts 

• explain your understanding of the mind-body problem
• explain which view of the mind most agrees with your understanding of ‘mind.’ Are you a dualist? A materialist? Explain why; defend your position with reasons. In your response, make sure to explain the view you most agree with; in other words, if you say you agree with dualism, explain what the dualist view is, as well as why you agree with that view. Your response must make specific reference to the video as well as to one of the assigned readings/sections from Chapter 4 in our text.

Helpful hint: Often in this forum, students say things like ‘I am a dualist because I think the mind and body are connected’ or ‘I am a dualist because I think the mind and body work together.’ But, the mind and body ARE connected; they DO work together; we know this! Our species would not have survived if these did not work together. It is a fact that the mind and body affect each other and work together; these are not matters of debate. Also, these are not even matters that require experts or scientists for verification; each of us can test these out and verify their veracity. If I think of something terrifying, my body will react; if I stab my finger with a needle, my mind tells me I am in pain ?. There is no question that the mind and body affect each other. So, a dualist is NOT a person who thinks the mind and body work together or are connected.

Works Linked/Cited:

“Where Does Your Mind Reside?: Crash Course Philosophy #22.” YouTube, uploaded by Crash Course, 1 Aug. 2016. Where Does Your Mind Reside?: Crash Course Philosophy #22 – YouTube. Accessed 19 Aug. 2020.

second part: please reply to each student according to the instructions

diego

Like many things in philosophy, the mind-body problem, as I see it at least, is a philosophical question that aims to rationalize the human experience in a way that satisfies each of us or is closest to some objective truth. Specifically, the mind-body problem concerns itself with the sense of self, and how that sense of self is affected by physical or non-physical entities and influences. Several senses of self have been defined over the course of history, dating back to Descartes’ famous saying of “I think, therefore I am,” a belief that essentially asserts that identity of self has everything to do with the non-physical, an “immaterial substance” as the book states in Chapter 5, section A. However, as Hank Green states in our assigned video, there is another school of thought, reductive physicalism, which claims that the world, everything in it, and everything we as humans do boils down to a series of physical processes, and not anything immaterial. The mind-body problem, and its many proposed solutions, are ways of refuting either of these points, or attempting to merge them in a satisfactory way, in order to reach a conclusion that portrays the human experience in a rational way.

Personally, I consider myself to be an Interactionist, which is a sort of subset of the Substance Dualist school of thinking. The reason I adhere to this mentality when determining my self-identity is actually incredibly simple: its because the proposition itself is the most simple one. There is a problem-solving principle known as Occam’s Razor which, to paraphrase, posits that when thinking of a solution or answer to a problem or question, the simplest option should be given precedence, and we should not pluralize beyond necessity. When tackling the issue of self-identity, I have chosen to apply this principle of problem-solving, and that principle lead me to Interactionism. This is because both pure substance dualism and reductive physicalism require more logical leaps or steps to explain the human experience. Substance dualism claims that the sense of self is not affected by the physical, even though our physical interaction with the world is oftentimes what allows us to build the mental experience to formulate our identity, but reductive physicalism requires you to dive into much more complicated physical and medical minutiae in order to explain things like emotions. Interactionism is a simple blend that states that our sense of self is created and shaped by the ways in which our minds and bodies interact, from our mind exercising its will upon the body to the body’s experiences having effects, both positive and negative, on the mind.

Works Cited / Relevant research:

( Introducing Philosophy), Introducing Philosophy . Oxford University Press.

“Where Does Your Mind Reside?: Crash Course Philosophy #22.” YouTube, uploaded by Crash Course, 1 Aug. 2016. Where Does Your Mind Reside?: Crash Course Philosophy #22 – YouTube. Accessed 16 Apr 2022.

Duigan, Brian. “Occam’s Razor.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Occams-razor.

Erick

After watching the video and reading the chapter I have understood more about the mind and body problem. The mind and body were formed to be connected with eachother. If I hit my toe with the corner of my bed i would feel the pain and my mind would tell me to scream of pain. In chapter 4 it uses the example that when our body is hungry we can feel the hunger and we know it is time to eat. If we did not feel that sensation of hunger that is a way we could know that our body and mind is not connected. The body and mind is like a team, the mind commands what the body should do and does it.

I am a duelist, I beleive in spiritual things and a materialtisic mind only beleives that the things that hold matter exist. I beleieve that their is a God and also due to that I try to live a life that would be joyful to God. I beleieve that heaven exist, its true that their is no scientific evidence that proves that it exists. I have nothing to lose if I follow Gods path but I could have a lot to lose if I were not to follow his path. Heaven could end up being real and i could be missing my opportunity to live their for eternity. I know that evil and good spirits exists and has always been evolving around us. Also when I am sad or happy my body reacts to the way im feeling. When I am sad my mind is full of negative thoughts and your body expresses the way you feel. You feel like you dont have the strength to do anything but when you are happy, your body is active, you are full of energy. These are the reasons why I beleive that I am a duelist.