Evidences for Materialism

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Recommended: Dualism perspective on mind and brain, the soul and body

Neuroscience, Brain Lesion Deficit and Alzheimer's is the best evidence for Materialism. Firstly, I'll explain what materialism is and its opposing theory, dualism. Then I'll describe the evidence for materialism and respond with how dualists would. I conclude that Materialism is the best mind theory due to scientific evidence.

Materialism and Dualism are both theories based on where the mind is located. The mind consists of mental states. Mental states can be divided into three categories: cognitive, conative and affective. Cognitive states are aimed at fitting the world and these include beliefs, knowledge,memories, understanding and experiences. Conative states are aimed at changing the world through decisions, choices, will and desires. Affective states are states that happen and that we feel such as sensations, emotions, feelings, experiences. (source lecture notes 1) Materialism is the theory that mental states are brain states, that the mind is located within the brain. That the brain is responsible for such things like memories, feelings and emotions. Dualism says that the body is a physical thing and that the mind is a non physical thing and is apart of a soul. (source lecture notes 2)

Mental states are brain states. All mental states occur in the brain occurring to materialism. Cells and parts of the brain are responsible for different mental states and bodily functions. But what if they didn't? What if, as is the case with dualism, there was a soul that connected with the body through the brain and the soul caused and felt the mental states. That through the connection with the soul and brain that the soul experienced the sensory input from the brain and affected the output of the brain. Whilst leaving certain bo...

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...tal states are brain states. Again, a dualist would just say that the connection is altered and the mind located within the soul is still intact and perfectly normal and its the connection going from the soul to the body where it becomes altered.

Works Cited

Barrash, J., Tranel, D., & Anderson S. (2000). Acquired personality disturbances associated with bilateral damage to the ventromedial prefrontal region. Developmental Neuropsychology, 18(3), 355–381. [Accessed:28 Jan 2014]

Bond, A. 2014. Belief in the Brain: Scientific American. [online] Available at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=belief-in-the-brain [Accessed: 17 Jan 2014].

Fightdementia.org.au. 2014. Alzheimer's Disease - what is it? | Alzheimer’s Australia. [online] Available at: http://www.fightdementia.org.au/understanding-dementia/alzheimers-disease.aspx [Accessed: 23 Jan 2014].

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