The relationship between the mind and the body can be clearly understood by focusing on the theories of monism and dualism. The two theories discuss how the body and the mind are two different or a single entity. The scientists make an in-depth debate of these theories but most of them tend to support the concept of dualism. There are numerous types of dualism ranging from the aspect of interactionism, psychophysical parallelism, double aspectism, and emergentism ( Dennet & Searle, 2018). In the human body, the mind stands out as a strong tool that enables individuals to understand and think consciously. The basic reasoning is that our physical being is highly influenced by our emotions. It is often easier to understand how a terrifying thought prompts the heart to beat faster, but at the same time, it is hard to recognize that sadness, depression or loneliness can also pose severe physical impacts. It is the primary reason emotions are deemed relevant in harsh situations such as illnesses or complex emotions.
Human beings have both physical and mental properties. The properties attributed to the physical nature encompass the weight, size, shape, motion through space, and color, among many others ( Dennet & Searle, 2018). On the other hand, they also have the mental properties that are not attributed by any means to the physical objects. These include the aspects of consciousness and intentionality. The physical properties are observable while the mental properties are intangible in nature. As much as some of the physical properties such as the electrons are indirectly observable, they are correspondingly available and observable using scientific techniques and equipment. An individual’s behavioral conduct enables us to affirm that he or she is depressed or undergoing a stressful or painful situation. Conscious mental actions are secretive and personal compared to the physical events. Nevertheless, taking into consideration an individual’s mental properties consisting of their thoughts, personality, and emotions; then it is pretty clear that there is a close interrelation between the mind and the body ( Dennet & Searle, 2018). They are basically part of the biological processes and responses. It is believed that an individual dies when the body ceases to exist causing the brain to stop functioning. Therefore, it is appropriate to consider the existence of spiritual and physical links amongst humans.
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According to the materialists’ point of view, the physical and the mental states are similar despite their contrasting appearances. Functionalism, behaviorism, computational theory of mind and mind-brain identity theory are examples of the primary concepts used by materialists to explain the relationships between the mind and the body ( Dennet & Searle, 2018). The primary element in these theories is based on the effort to elucidate the nature of consciousness and mind with regards to their ability to indirectly or directly modify an individual’s behavior. There are several types of materialism that tie the physical and the mental without any explicit explanation the mental nature in terms of behavior-modifying role. Unlike the materialists, the idealists claim that the physical states are mental states. The basic essence is that the physical world is empirical in nature since it is an internal subject of the collective experience. The dualist views maintain that the physical and the mental are real and cannot be assimilated ( Dennet & Searle, 2018). From these views, it can be concluded that there is a challenge in defining the relationship between the mind and the body since the aspect of thought and consciousness are broadly construed. They seem to extremely vary from anything physical. Hence, there is a lack of convincing consensus with regards to how a satisfactory unified picture can be established.
Reference
Dennet & Searle (2018). Monism vs. Dualism & Psychiatry . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9XzGz6N25Q&feature=pyv&ad=6437202115&kw=dualism%20and%20monism
