Dualism: Concerns and Issues

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Dualism is a broad term that can encompass many areas within philosophy itself. In aspect to metaphysics, it classifies the types of entities in the world into two subcategories, physical and non physical substance. While this may appear to be a very wide and ambiguous opinion, it becomes very specific in regards to our own existence. Paul Churchland puts it very explicitly in his book Matter and Consciousness, and defines dualism as the idea that, “the essential nature of conscious intelligence resides in something nonphysical” (Churchland 1). Though dualism is a highly regarded and popular view on the state of existence, its core arguments present an array of problems that detract from the credibility of its reality.

Rene Descartes, who has been often called the Father of Western Philosophy (Wikipedia Descartes), entered the scene in Europe in the 17th century. Galileo’s imprisonment and the church’s monopoly on knowledge had put a damper on scientific learning throughout Europe. This, coupled with Aristotle’s outdated theories which held much weight in the domain of science and philosophies had spread a growing sense of skepticism throughout the world. Descartes’ Meditations were the first real response to this dangerous approach. He started off by embracing skepticism’s notion that all of his ideas of the world must be shaken and then attempt to build a model from the ground up. Through the series of Meditations he arrives upon a critical point that he says cannot be refuted and begins to model his idea of the world from that point. This point is one of the most the most quoted phrases in philosophy, “Cogito ergo sum”, that is, “I think therefore I am” (Descartes Mediation 2). He states that were...

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...ons from the Objections and Replies. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.

3- “Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder): Signs, Symptoms, Treatment."WebMD. WebMD. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder

4- “Elementary Particles. < http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/21st_century_science/lectures/lec16.html>

5- Hofstadter, Douglas R., Daniel Clement. Dennett, and Raymond Smullyan. The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul. New York: Basic, 1981, Chapter 23 “The Unfortunate Dualist”.

6- “On Lockean Dualism”

7- “Problems from Philosophy”.

8- “Rene Descartes”

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