Dualism + materialism evaluation of mind + body + soul

Dualism's strength regarding subjective experience (Qualia)?

Accounts for first-person, qualitative experiences (e.g., the feeling of 'redness') by positing a non-physical mind/soul.

Objection to Dualism's explanation of Qualia?

Argument from ignorance (assuming non-physical due to lack of current physical explanation). Physicalists argue qualia are emergent properties or that science is incomplete.

Dualism's strength regarding Free Will?

A non-physical mind/soul can be truly free from deterministic physical laws, allowing for genuine moral responsibility.

Objection to Dualism's Free Will?

The problem of causal interaction: How can a non-physical mind influence a physical body without violating physics? Neuroscience suggests neural correlates precede conscious decisions.

Dualism's strength regarding Afterlife/Immortality?

A distinct, non-physical mind/soul can survive the death of the physical body, supporting religious doctrines and intuitions about an afterlife.

Objection to Dualism's Afterlife?

Lacks empirical scientific evidence; relies on faith. Also, if the soul is dependent on the body for memory/experience, its disembodied existence might be meaningless.

Dualism's strength regarding Personal Identity?

The enduring, non-physical soul/mind provides a consistent core for personal identity despite constant physical changes to the body.

Objection to Dualism's Personal Identity?

If identity is solely non-physical, why do physical brain damage or chemical imbalances alter personality, memory, and the 'self'? Suggests deep physical dependency.

Materialism's strength regarding Scientific Consistency?

Aligns with modern neuroscience showing direct correlations between brain activity and mental states (e.g., fMRI), avoiding non-physical entities.

Objection to Materialism's Scientific Consistency?

Correlation doesn't equal identity. It struggles with the "hard problem of consciousness" – explaining why physical processes produce subjective experience.

Materialism's strength regarding Interaction?

Eliminates the problem of how non-physical interacts with physical by asserting only physical reality exists; mental events are physical events.

Objection to Materialism's Interaction Solution?

While solving interaction, it still faces the "hard problem" of consciousness. Simply declaring mental events as physical doesn't explain their qualitative feeling.

Materialism's strength regarding Parsimony?

Proposes fewer entities (only physical) to explain reality, adhering to Ockham's Razor by offering a simpler, unified framework.

Objection to Materialism's Parsimony?

Simplicity may come at the cost of explanatory power for subjective experience, free will, and full personal identity – dualists argue a more complex theory is necessary.

Materialism's strength regarding Mental Impairment?

Provides clear biological explanations for mental conditions (e.g., Alzheimer's) and cognitive development due to brain changes or dysfunction, allowing for physical interventions.

Objection to Materialism's Mental Impairment Explanation?

Brain damage affecting the mind doesn't prove the mind is purely physical; it could just impair the soul's expression or interaction with the physical world, like a broken radio affecting music reception.