RE: Dualism vs Materialism or Mind vs Soul
May 15, 2013 at 11:15 pm
(This post was last modified: May 15, 2013 at 11:31 pm by Neo-Scholastic.)
I do not know. Nobody really does. One idea is that the brain acts more like a radio. Certain brain states tune in to receive non-physical attributes like sensation. A damaged brain would thus not be able to receive or interact effectively with whatever it is that supports mental properties. Dualism is about much more that the 'soul'. It has to do with all mental properties regardless of whether in the form of a soul or something else. Here is a link to a self-avowed materialist who seems to think dualist claims are not totally out of the running.
Article on Dualism
One interesting problem to me is that so much of the brain is NOT conscious. One thing everyone agrees on is that the brain is extremely chaotic, in that slight changes in one area cascade throughout the entire system. It seems to me that if something non-physical acted upon the brain it would not need a very large footprint. In one theory, Roger Penrose speculates about consciousness coming out of microtubules within neurons. I hate quantum based theories of consciousness, but it seems to be the only game in town, since Newtonian interactions have no insertion point for qualia or intentionality. However, if the 'soul' were able to manipulate chance at the quantum level it's effect could be amplified by the brain's complexity. That could be one means of interaction between the physical and no-physical parts of reality.
To me qualia and intentionality are two aspects of reality that strongly imply some form of dualism. And that is one reason why I favor dualist theories.
Article on Dualism
One interesting problem to me is that so much of the brain is NOT conscious. One thing everyone agrees on is that the brain is extremely chaotic, in that slight changes in one area cascade throughout the entire system. It seems to me that if something non-physical acted upon the brain it would not need a very large footprint. In one theory, Roger Penrose speculates about consciousness coming out of microtubules within neurons. I hate quantum based theories of consciousness, but it seems to be the only game in town, since Newtonian interactions have no insertion point for qualia or intentionality. However, if the 'soul' were able to manipulate chance at the quantum level it's effect could be amplified by the brain's complexity. That could be one means of interaction between the physical and no-physical parts of reality.
To me qualia and intentionality are two aspects of reality that strongly imply some form of dualism. And that is one reason why I favor dualist theories.
