Published on 28 October 2021

What is The Mind-Body Debate?

General Psychology what-is-the-mind-body-debate
Table of Contents

The mind-body problem is really considered to be two problems. The item problem concerns the nature of mental items, are they or are they not physical?

The main problem concerns the nature of the defining spirit of mental phenomena consciousness and deliberately: can they or can they not be explained in physical terms. (Martin, E., 2000. Mind?body problem)

Discovery of The Mind-Body Problem

The primary concern is that, which is extended to another level is that, do mind or body are the separate thing or the same thing?

It is universal fact that the mind is all about mental processes, consciousness, and also thought process, what we think, we do, and that is the main concern regarding the mind. On the other side, the body is all about the physical aspects of the brain-neurons. After all the brain is one that gives commands to every motion, maybe voluntary or involuntary movements.

This is the way our brain is structured, the body does not controls the mind but our brain controls the body. Is the body part of our mind? Or is the mind part of our body? How do they both interact? Are they distinct from each other? Out of both who is the charge?

Lot of questions came up and raised, but does it end to a proper conclusion? Let’s see what we could understand by the term mind-body debate further.

At times, many theories have put forward that explains the relationship between (what we call your brain) that is part of your body and (what we call your mind) that is defined as the conscious thinking which experiences your thoughts. 

The debate is going to be interesting, but before that let’s understand the term dualism.

What is Dualism?

Human beings are considered to be material object, it’s because humans have properties like solidity, weight, and consist of liquids, gases, and solids. Although, unlike other objects which are materialistic like pebbles, humans have the ability to form judgments and reasons for their existence.

If we have to make everyone understand in short, we can say we have “minds”.

The term dualism means that humans are characterized by in a section, as having both minds which is non-physical, and brain/body which is physical. Mind and body both are separate entities, this is the main view of Dualism.

There was an argument by Descartes / Cartesian on dualism that there is a two-way interaction between physical and mental substances.

The argument was quite clear, Descartes stated that the mind interacts with the body at the pineal gland. This form of duality or say dualism proposes that the mind controls the body but that body can also impact the rational mind like when any individual acts out of passion.

Before it is seen that the relationship between the body and mind had been one-directional for most previous accounts. (Shobris, J.G., 1994. The dualism of psychology)

What is Monism?

Materialism is the belief that the material world is only that exists, apart from that nothing exists. For example, (physical matter like the brain); psychologists related to materialists usually agree that consciousness is the function of the brain i.e. (the mind).

Mental processes could be identified with entirely physical processes in the central nervous system. Human beings are so intricate i.e. complicated physiological organisms, not more than that. 

Psychology and Mind-Body Debate

The different address have been made to psychology that, they take contrasting views to whether the mind and body are related to each other are actually separated.

Thinking (having freedom of choice, about anything) is a mental event that is obvious, yet it can cause behavior to occur (involuntary or voluntary movements in response to a thought).  Thinking more could therefore be said to make things happen, "mind moves matter". (Velmans, M., 2008. Reflexive monism)

An Earnest Learning

Mind-body debate the problem still has no solution that is universally accepted. It is possible that modern brain science may make some progress in describing how consciousness arose in the brain, and consequently will lead to further comprehension.