Why I Am a Substance Dualist

630 Words3 Pages
Why I Am a Substance Dualist There are two types of thought that are very important in today’s society and in the mindsets of people. One, from the mind of Rene Descartes is called “Dualism” (to be specific, “substance dualism” which is also called Cartesian dualism). The other, from a man named Thomas Hobbes, is known as “Materialism”. Although substance dualism is not really a favorable view because it’s seen as religious, I consider myself a substance dualist. Before I can really explain why I believe this, I should write a little bit about the two thoughts in general. Someone who is a substance dualist believes, as Rene Descartes did, that the “universe consisted of two different kinds of substances that he termed res extensa (extended things physical things) and res cogitans (thinking things)” (mindcreators.com). In general, the dualist believes that Good and Evil (or God and the Devil) are independent and more or less equal forces in the world. Substance dualism claims that immortal souls occupy an independent “realm” of existence distinct from that of the physical world. As for Materialism, it’s completely different. Someone who is a materialist believes the following: “..existence is explainable solely in material terms, with no accounting of spirit or consciousness. Individuals who hold to this belief see the universe as a huge device held together by pieces of matter functioning in subjection to naturalistic laws” (allaboutphilosophy.org). In simple terms, materialism involves the focus of material “things” as opposed to the spiritual or intellectual. As for my reasoning for why I believe I’m a substance dualist, it all has its roots in the “Mind-Body Problem”. The mind-body problem was addressed by Rene Descartes and resulted in Cartesian Dualism (substance dualism). The mind-body problem begs the question: what is the relationship between
Open Document