1 Mind-Body Problem

Running Head: MIND-BODY PROBLEM

The Mind-Body Problem

Chad A. Cohan

University of Phoenix
 2 Mind-Body Problem

The Mind-Body Problem

Philosophers and scientistshave debated the unknown for years. One such issue that has

pervaded philosophers and scientistsin debate has been the issue of mind-body dualism. Mind-

body dualism "assumes the existence of two distinct principles of being in the universe: spirit

and matter, or soul and body." (Kazlev, 2004) The concept of dualism can be linked all the way

back to Plato (Duke & Hicken & Nicoll & Robinson & Strachan, 1995) and Aristotle(Robinson,

1983). But the argument over mind-body dualism came into existence most profoundly when

introduced by Rene Descartes. Rene Descartes postulated that the body is a living, physical

entity that takes up space and is able to participate in moving, similar to a car. He also argued

that the mind is an immaterial substance and does nottake up any space. The realm of the mind

and consciousness is related to the physical body and evidence supports the idea that there is no

independent mind.

The realm of mind and consciousness is awareness. Descartes once said, "I think,

therefore I am." (Baird, F.E. & Kaufmann, W., 2008) The meaning of this statement is that a

person pondering on their existence is alone proof of existence. Thus, awareness is considered to

be the realm of mind and consciousness. In a recent study, according to the University of

Leicester (2008), scientists have postulated that they have found cells in the brain that become

very busy only when something is being explicitly noticed. Volunteers of the realm of

consciousness study were displayed pictures on a computer screen for a brief amount of time,

just enough for the picture to be noticeable. The volunteers were inquired each time whether

they saw the picture or not. While the volunteers pictured the images or not, researchers were

watching what was happening in the brain during this exercise. Certain neurons fired to the

perception in an all-or-none way.

The mind and consciousness relate to the physical body via one's nervous system. The
 3 Mind-Body Problem

nervous system is composed of an array of nerves, thebrain, and spinal cord. The nervous

system acts as a mainframe controller of thebody. Information that is sent to your brain is used

to activate all your actions and reactions. The brain is thought to be the physical portion which is

intertwined with your mind. Your mind is thought to be intangible things such as emotions,

thoughts, and perceptions. The study of the brain has made it abundantly clear that our thoughts

exist as measurable forms of energies / electricity in the brain tissue (Mo, 2006). For example,

your arm will lift if you stimulate a particular part of the brain. This implies that thoughts are

some form of matter. Furthermore, according to Mo (2006), brain activity was simultaneously

paralleled with the thought of a single word by researchers at the University of New Mexico

conducting a study using a refined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique.

The concept of an independent mind that transcends physical functions of the body

through the central nervous system is not completely justified and can be countered with

contrasting evidence. It appears that the mind controls the body in the way the electrical system

controls a computer. Therefore, the mind affects practically everything in one's body. For

example, the mind is dependent on the specific sense organs. The senses themselves are

alterations of the nerve ends that have specific ways for facilitating stimuli to act on the nerve

ends. Let's take the eye, for example. The eye is basically the optic nerve diffused to create the

retina and is mutated in specific ways to make it perceptive to vibrations. To illustrate, suppose

one sees a picture on the wall. My eyes, the light, and the optic nerves are all the physical parts

that are involved in seeing the picture. However, in order to see the picture, our mind must be

conscious of it. If one was to close his or her eyes, he or she would not see the picture. Or if one

had an eye disease and could not see out of his or her eyes, then this person would also not be

able to see the picture. This is proof that the mind is dependent on the central nervous system

(Pyle, 2009).
 4 Mind-Body Problem

Free will seems to be the most common defense that is associated with proving that the

mind and body are separate. But evidence suggests that free will is not always "free" in the

typical sense and free will, according to some studies,is compatible with the mind and body not

being separate entities. Brandon Keim (2008) of Wired Science in his article "Is Free Will an

Illusion" states that "Long before you’re consciously aware of making a decision, your mind has

already made it." He cites a study to prove that people are not always free in theirdecision-

making. For example, if oneasked you to press a button, you'd be able to "choose" which hand

to press it with, right? Keim (2008) in his article "Is Free Will an Illusion" cites the study

conducted by neuroscientists at the Max Planck Institute in which the people being tested in the

experiment were asked to choose whether to press a button with their right or left hand. It turned

out that seven seconds before they experienced making the choice, their brain activity all ready

predicted their lasting decisions.

The Max Planck's study co-author John-Dylan Haynes stated, "Your decisions are

strongly prepared by brain activity. By the time consciousness kicks in, most of the work has

already been done." (Keim, "Brain Scanners," 2008) Furthermore, Haynes upgraded a

prototypical experiment conducted by the now deceased Benjamin Libet. Libet, prior to Haynes'

experiment, displayed that a neural activity in a particular brain region fired that involved

synchronizing motor activity, for a fraction of a second before, the people in the experiments

chose to push a button (Keim, "Brain Scanners," 2008). This is evidence that some of our

decisions are all ready determined for us.

The realm of the mind and consciousness is related to the physical body and the evidence

points to the notion that an independent mind is far from proven. The realm of mind and

consciousness is awareness. The mind and consciousness work in conjunction with the physical

body. The concept of an independent mind that transcends physical functions of the body
 5 Mind-Body Problem

through the central nervous system is not completely justified and can be countered with

contrasting evidence. The mind is dependent on the sense organs, just one of many examples that

the mind is not independent of the body. Evidence also exists that free will does not presuppose

an independent mind. Contemporary evidence suggests that the mind or our consciousness is

part of our body and is based on chemical reactions in our brain.

References
 6 Mind-Body Problem

Baird, F.E. & Kaufmann, W. (2008). From Plato to Derrida. Upper Saddle

River, New Jersey:

Pearson Prentice Hall.

Carter, J.M. (2009). The "Chemical Imbalance" in Mental Health Problems.

Retrieved on

August 6, 2009, from http://www.mental-health-

matters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=759%3Athe-

qchemical-

imbalanceq-in-mental-health-problems&catid=152%3Aliving-with-

mental-

illness&Itemid=1894&limitstart=3

CostandiM. (2007). Parasite Hijacks the Mind of its Host. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from

http://scitizen.com/screens/blogPage/viewBlog/sw_viewBlog.php?idTheme=23&idContr

ibution=509

Descartes, Rene (1998). Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Hacket

Publishing Company.

Dinan, T. (2000). PhysicalConsequences of Depression. Retrieved on August

6, 2009, from

http://www.irishscientist.ie/2000/contents.asp?contentxml=084bs.xml&conte

ntxsl=insigh
 7 Mind-Body Problem

t3.xsl

E.A. Duke & W.F. Hicken & W.S.M. Nicoll & Robinson &J.C.G. Strachan. (1995).

Plato.

Phaedo. Clarendon Press.

Kazlev, M. A. (2004). Dualism. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from

http://www.kheper.net/topics/worldviews/dualism.htm

Keim, B. (2008). Brain Scanners Can See Your Decisions Before You Make

Them. Retrieved

on August 7, 2009 from

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/04/mind_decision

Keim, B. (2008). IsFree Will an Illusion. Retrieved on August 7, 2009 from

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/is-free-will-an/

Lempert, K. (2007). The Toxic Personality of T. gondii. Retrieved on August

6, 2009, from

http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~hsr/pdfsspring2007/LempertGE.pdf

Mo. (2006). Hi-res, cheap & portable MRI. Retrieved on August 9, 2009 from

http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/09/06/hi-res-cheap-portable-mri/

Pyle, W.H. (2009). Mindand Body. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from

http://www.enotalone.com/article/14467.html

Rheault, R.R. (2009). Whatis the Realm of Mind and Consciousness. Retrieved on August 6,

2009 from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-the-Realm-of-Mind-and-

Consciousness?&id=1251071

Robinson, H. (1983): Aristotelian dualism. Oxford Studies in Ancient

Philosophy 1, p.p. 123–

44.

Rovers, A. (n.d.). Psychologist finds dopamine linked to a personality trait and happiness.

Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/96/10.24.96/dopamine.html

The Stanley Medical Research Institute. (2008). Research on Schizophrenia and Bipolar

Disorder. Retrieved on August 6, 2009 from

http://www.stanleyresearch.org/dnn/LaboratoryofDevelopmentalNeurovirology/Toxoplas

mosisSchizophreniaResearch/VINeurotransmittersandTgondii/tabid/180/Default.aspx

University of Leicester. (2008). Braincells tied to consciousness reported found. Retrieved on

August 6, 2009, from http://www.world-science.net/othernews/080219_conscious.htm

Yong, E. (2008). Toxoplasma - the brain parasite that influences human

culture. Retrieved on

August 6, 2009, from

http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/toxoplasma_the_brain_par

asite_that_i

nfluences_human_culture.php