The philosophy of mind is a very relevant field of reflection today, since it addresses one of the great enigmas of humanity: the human mind.
The philosophy of mind is a branch that studies the nature of mental phenomena (thoughts, perceptions, feelings, etc.) and their relationship with the physical body (especially the brain). In other words, it is a question of explaining how the spirit, a supposed immaterial phenomenon, influences a material body, and vice versa.
For this, different positions have emerged that attempt to explain this questioning. Among these, dualism and monism are the most important. Do you want to know more? So read on to find out why it’s so important for the development of cognitive science and for understanding human beings.
Philosophy of the mind: what is it?
The philosophy of mind asks general questions regarding the nature of mental phenomena, such as the following:
- Thoughts
- emotions
- Memory
- Sensory experience
However, it is relevant to make a distinction between the philosophical questions of this branch and the questions that more empirical approaches, such as experimental psychology or neuroscience, attempt to answer, which depend crucially on observational results. That is to say that despite the fact that these disciplines deal with the same subjects, it must be taken into account that the approach of each is different.
For example, empirical psychologists often study contingent facts regarding real people and animals, such as discovering that a certain chemical is only released when experiencing fear, or that a certain region of the brain is activated by case of pain.
Instead, the philosophy of mind wants to know if the release of this chemical or the activation of the brain in a certain region is essential for feeling fear or pain. Therefore, it asks itself, for example, the following questions:
- Would beings without this particular brain chemistry or design be unable to have such experiences?
- Is it possible that something has such experiences and is not composed of the same matter, as is the case with machines?
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In asking these questions, philosophers not only think of the remote possibilities of divine entities or extraterrestrial creatures (whose physical constitutions would be very different from those of humans), but also consider closer realities, such as the possibility that computers are able to think.
However, this does not mean that the contingent findings of empirical science are irrelevant to philosophical speculation regarding the mind. In fact, many philosophers believe that scientific investigation can reveal the essence or nature of many mental phenomena that have so far remained an enigma.
The mind-body problem
The central theme of the philosophy of mind is the mind-body problem. She tries to explain how these two entities, one immaterial and the other material, are linked and influence each other.
Among the most accepted explanations are dualism and monism, two currents of thought which in turn divide into various perspectives. Let’s see which are the most influential.
Dualism
According to dualism, mind and body are categorically separated from each other. Moreover, mental phenomena are non-physical in nature in some respects.
This tradition goes back to Plato and Aristotle, but was more precisely formulated by René Descartes in the 17th century. The latter was the first to clearly identify the mind with consciousness and to distinguish it from the brain, the physical seat of intelligence. In dualism we can find two main perspectives.
Substance Dualism or Cartesian Dualism
He holds that the spirit is a substance that exists independently of the physical body. In this sense, the mind has no extension in space and matter cannot think.
This is the dualism popularly defended by Descartes. It is consistent with most theologies that immortal souls exist in a “realm” independent of the physical world.
Property Dualism
He defends that the mind is a set of independent properties that emerge from the brain, but that it is not a substance other than matter. So when matter is organized in the right way (as in living human bodies), mental properties emerge.
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Monism
For its part, monism defends that the spirit and the body are not ontologically distinct entities. This idea was first defended in Western philosophy by Parmenides (5th century BC) and Baruch Spinoza (17th century). Within this position, the following perspectives stand out.
Physicalism or materialistic monism
Physicalism holds that the mind is a purely physical construct and will eventually be fully explained by empirical science as it evolves. With the great progress of science in the 20th century, this position has become the dominant doctrine.
Non-reductive physicalism
He argues that although the brain is all there is to the mind, the vocabulary used in mental descriptions and explanations cannot be reduced to the language of physical science.
Mental states depend on physical states, but are not reducible to them. So, there can be no change in the mind without a change in the physical.
Idealism
He argues that the mind is all there is. Therefore, the external world is itself mental or an illusion created by the mind, and the problem of the interaction between mind and body is not a problem at all.
Neutral monism
He suggests that existence consists of a type of primary substance (hence monism), which is itself neither mental nor physical, but is capable of producing attributes of both types.
There is another neutral substance (variously called: “substance”, “nature” or “God”), and matter and spirit are properties of this other unknown substance.
The importance of philosophy of mind
The philosophy of mind is a very relevant area of reflection today, since it addresses one of the great enigmas of humanity, the human mind.
We can thus enjoy a better understanding of human beings and the world around us. The explanatory theories proposed by philosophers of mind have contributed to the theoretical development of cognitive science.
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