The mind and body problem has originated with Rene Descartes. The function of the mind is to think while the body occupies space. The mind as a thinking matter and the body is the extended matter, respectively. There are two ways between the two distinct types of matter; certainly, the mind affects the body through action and the body affects the mind through perception. In information philosophy, the mind is viewed as immaterial information in the brain, an information processor biologically. For example, the hardware is the brain and mind is the software. It implies that the mind is pure information. The matter of mind is clean information; information is neither energy nor matter, however, there is a necessity for energy for its communication and matter for its embodiment. In the philosophy of mind, it concerns on dualism. In addition, functionalism makes something on a mental state that does not solely depend on its constitution internally rather on its functionality or the role it plays as part of the system. Dualism is the theory that the mind and body, or the mental and the physical in some point are different kinds of thing radically. As a common sense, there is a physical body, and there is an intellectual force to produce a consistent view of the universe. Dualism contrasts with monism and pluralism. Monism is a theory with only one category of principle while pluralism views that there are many categories of principle. The mind and body causally interact with each other since the mind is part of the physical system of the universe; every person has an immaterial mind and physical body, only immaterial mind has a mental property, only physical object has physical property, and mind and body exist independently.
The relationship between the mind and body is the mental realm of beliefs, pains, thoughts, and emotions and the physical realm of neurons, atoms, and matters. These relationships could be feelings, thoughts, perceptions, wishes, and sensations of things happened in every physical process in the brain, or just some of those physical processes. According to Descartes, the mind and body have different types of substances completely; however, both mind and body interact with one another. His concept is difficult for humanist, materialist, and evolutionist to accept. If humanist, materialist, and evolutionist will accept the concept, then it is an acceptance of supernaturalism. With an opposite worldview, Descartes concept is of great contradiction and will be rejected accordingly. One of the main suggestions offered as a solution to the mind and body old-age problem is functionalism. Functionalism is a principle that creates desire, thought, pain, or other mental status; it depends solely on functionality and not on its constitution internally. Its functionality implies the role it plays as part of the cognitive system. Its theory identifies a mental state determine through a causal relationship on the stimulations of senses, behavior, and other mental status. Functionalism states that mental conditions comprise by causal relations. This concept is plausible since causal relations with each other imply inputs on senses and outputs on behavior.
There are plausible reasons that support Cartesian dualism as a conjunction. Firstly, every person has an immaterial mind and physical body; matter of thinking that is not extended spatially. It does not exist in space that means it does not apply or it exists, however, it is a minimal existence compared to a point, dimensionless. It implies that Descartes has not thought that mind exists inside or outside space clearly, it interprets that the dualism remains neutral. Secondly, only immaterial mind has a mental property that is anything that possessed consciously. If a matter has a mental property then, it is assured as consciously aware. For example, if a person is feeling sad, in pain, and tasting the taste of ripe banana, and from the given examples, each of the properties is a mental property since a person possessed any of them and consciously aware of his possession; there is no possibility of not being conscious. In the contrary, examples of non-mental properties are frowning and screaming the word ouch; none is a mental property since it is possible to imagine matters in one’s possession unaware. Thirdly, only physical object has physical property; a matter extended in space and time or has mass. For example, physical objects like a person’s body, other body, Olscen the cat, the leaning tower of Pisa, and Earth. It implies that no matter how matters are squeeze tightly, still it is extended, and that what makes physical objects. Physical properties are anything that has physical objects. For example, physical properties like weighing 60 kilograms, being 171 centimeters tall, and screaming. Lastly, mind and body exist independently; Descartes thinks that even though mind and body are distinct both have a two-way causal relation. Any events of the body caused events in the mind. For example, if a person is cut with a knife it caused the brain’s neuron to feel the sensation of pain in a person’s mind.
However, Nagel argued against physicalism and appealed to the features of consciousness in a phenomenological manner. He claimed and convinced strongly that conscious and experienced persons are subjective. If his premises presented are valid, then consciousness is inconsistent in physicalism; the existence of consciousness means that physicalism is false. He thinks that reasons against physical theory of consciousness are strong that a physical theory is impossible in reality. In the contrary, materialists’ views affirmed that regardless of appearances, the mental state is just physical state. The version of Jackson of his argument, the assumption that the super-scientist Mary knows completely the physical truth about the universe is not a guarantee for her to figure out the entire truth about the human vision of colors. Jackson’s reason comprises the knowledge of the physical truth completely. The complete physical truth is seen as a conjunction of the entire specific physical truths; stated that Mary learned from the science instructions. As Jackson supported the anti-physicalists, he argued that if the experiment proves the non-physical part of the mind exists, then epiphenomenalism is true. It implies that the mental state is caused by physical state; however, it has no causal effects in the universe physically.
The objections and rejections are unsuccessful since it is clearly pointed out with plausible reasons that the mind is part of the physical system of the universe; the mind and body interact with each another causally. In addition, the most accepted theory of the nature of mental states among others is functionalism; a mental state supervenes on a physical state since a mental state is a functional state.
Works Cited
Block, Ned. "Troubles with Functionalism." MCPS (2013): 1-66. Retrieved from www.mcps.umn.edu/philosophy/9_12block.pdf.
Jackson, Kenneth S. "All Is True—Unless You Decide in Advance What Is Not." Criticism 54.3 (2012): 469-477.
Jenkins, C. S. "IV—Romeo, René, and the Reasons Why: What Explanation Is." Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society (Paperback) 108.1 (2008): 61-84.
Rupert, Robert D. "Functionalism, Mental Causation, and the Problem of Metaphysically Necessary Effects ." Texas Tech (2013): 1-48.
Shanon, Benny. "Mind-Body, Body-Mind: Two Distinct Problems." Philosophical Psychology 21.5 (2008): 697-701.
