Introduction
Physicalism and Dualism are two philosophical positions that are ever in conflict concerning the state of the mind and body of humans. The Physicalism view claim that an entire human being comprises of a physical entity with various physical properties.
On the other hand, the dualism view claims that human beings have a dual entity comprising a physical entity (the body) and a non-physical entity (the mind). The aspect of the mind as a non-physical entity is often the cause of disagreement between these two conflicting positions. This paper will evaluate in detail the arguments entailing these two positions.
The positions of Physicalism and Dualism
Physicalism is a philosophical position that sees a human being as a physical entity made up of physical components. This school of thought compares the human being with a clay statute.
In this regard, a clay statute comprises of clay clumps and exhibits properties of weight and mass in addition to occupying a position in space.
Similarly, human beings comprise clumps of biochemical, physical substances and exhibit such properties as mass and weight. This assertion by Physicalists claims that human beings comprises of a single entity, which is physical in nature (Graham, 73).
Dualism is a philosophical position that tends to deny the position of Physicalism. This position denies that human beings have a single physical nature. Conversely, it asserts that human persons comprise of a dual nature made up of the physical aspect (the body) and a non- physical aspect (the mind) (Graham, 73).
Dualism provides the assertion that the mind does not occur alone; rather it has a connection to the body. This means that human beings have two forms of reality, which are connected in someway. In this regard, dualists claim that the physical body is a machine comprising flesh and bone while the mind is equitable to consciousness and defines the real person (Lawhead, 220).
Physicalists also claim that the whole or entire state of the world is a determinant of the physical aspect of the world. This position refutes the availability of a non-physical nature of the world.
Physicalists claim that a non-physical nature of the world cannot be the determinant of the state of the world since the world is physical in nature. For Physicalists, the mental state of a human being cannot vary without the determination and control of the physical nature of human persons (Seager, 218).
Physicalists claim that all aspects of the human nature and indeed aspects of the world are entirely physical and that science can actually explain them. This assertion rejects the claim by dualists that there are supernatural aspects of the humans. This means that Physicalists hold to science as a determinant and backbone of aspects of human beings (Lawhead, 228).
Dualists on the other hand hold that even if there is a physical world or a real world, it is accessible to both perception and reflection. Dualism claims that there is no way in which a physical nature can perceive the physical aspect of the world.
There must be another hidden force, which is non-physical in nature and which perceives the physical world. This means that there is a considerable difference between the known world and the perceived world.
In this regard, it is improper to claim that we know something only because we saw or heard it. This causes human beings to ignore the sensation that accrues from perceiving the issue at hand with the mind (Bolton, 20).
In general, Physicalists assert that the determination of all happenings logically occur by the physical aspect of human nature. However, there is a likelihood of more restricted forms while the general form is not above the logical sum of all the restricted forms. The current point of strength that Physicalism enjoys in philosophy accrues from the persistent absorption of ever more spheres of occurrences under the purview of Physicalism (Seager, 220).
The dualism position presents another claim of the possibility of sensation and perception as determinants of phenomena. In this regard, the issue of sight and hearing creates a gap between human’s perception of an object and the real object.
For instance, light from the Sun takes approximately eight minutes to reach us while that of the Moon takes one-and-a quarter seconds. However, light from the stars might take several years to reach us.
This implies that it is possible that we could be looking at objects, which do not exist since the light we can see left them. Nevertheless, even the least slip of time between a perception and the basis of the perception is sufficient to confirm that we are not dealing with the actual objects (Bolton, 21).
Physicalism also holds that an entirely physical world would appear to symbolize an entirely physical manifestation in total harmony with that of the actual world. This means that since the nature of the world is purely physical, then all occurrences would represent a physical expression.
Physicalists also claim that there is no way in which the mind would effect changes in the physical world without inclusion of the physical state. This means that physical processes and changes occur without the help of a mind (Seager, 225).
Dualists also deem that the mind is the foundation or medium of mental facts in relation to beliefs, hopes, and aspirations. On the other hand, they claim that the physical body is the foundation or vehicle of physical facts of height, posture and other physical properties (Graham, 73).
This is what the dualists assert: “if I have a thought and the thought occurs to me, but it does not occur in my body or brain, it appears that there would have to be two modes or means of ‘being’ in a person” (74).
Substance dualism maintains that there exist two fundamentally different forms of matter in the world. On the one hand, there are physical objects governed by and entirely explainable in terms of the concepts of physics. On the other hand, there are non-physical forms (minds or souls) and commonly understood to be self-formative. In addition, most dualists deem that the non-physical mind is capable of a dual causal contact with a physical body (Morris, 52).
Physicalists do not refute that humans think and feel. However, they refute the claim by dualists that the mind occurs as a non-physical entity. They maintain that these thoughts and perceptions by a human being are species of physical facts rather than immaterial sensations.
The most widely held physicalist position is that feelings and thoughts are the same with conditions of an individual’s brain. In this regard, they claim that the brain is the organ of feeling and thought. Since the brain is a physical entity, they therefore provide the premise that there is no an immaterial aspect of human beings (Graham, 73).
Concessionary dualists claim that even with physical manifestations, the laws are entirely deterministic but eventually broken by mental intercession upon occurrence. This eventually means that according to dualists, it would be rationally not possible to generate a perception of the real or physical world without including non-physical mental aspects (Seager, 226).
There are nonreductive Physicalists who refute the likelihood of reducing mental aspects to physical aspects. In addition, they refute the possibility of any physical property co-existing with some mental aspect. The plain presence of manifold physical supervenience foundations for any mental aspect makes many Physicalists to assume a nonreductive approach (Morris, 8).
Conclusion
The conflicting philosophical positions of Physicalism and dualism present various arguments in support of each school of thought.
Whereas the Physicalists describe the whole world and human beings in terms of total physical aspects, the dualists claim that there is a dual nature of the world and human persons. They claim that humans have a non-physical entity, which is the mind, connected to the brain and the body (which are physical aspects).
Works Cited
Bolton, Robert. Dualism and the Philosophy of the Soul. 2010. Web.
Graham, George. The Disordered Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Mental Illness. London: Taylor & Francis, 2010. Print.
Lawhead, William. The philosophical journey: An interactive approach. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.
Morris, Dolores. Physicalism, Dualism and the Mind-Body Problem. 2010. Web.
Seager, William. “Concessionary Dualism and Physicalism.” Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 67 (2010): 217-237. Print.