1. The Mind Body Problem
Our minds seem to be non-physical and different from our bodies. Our bodies seem to be something different from our minds. Are they actually different? What is a mind? What is a body? How do they relate?

2. Substance Dualism Our bodies and minds are separate things
Substance – a “thing” which exists independently from other things (e.g. a horse, a cat, a human). It has properties, but is not a property of another thing
Property – a quality that a substance has (e.g. red, round, cold)
Substance: Socrates
Balding head
Grey Hair

3. Argument for Substance Dualism
The Conceivability argument (Descartes):
P1: I can doubt that my body exists (from Meditation 1)
P2: I cannot doubt that my mind exists (from Meditation 2)
P3: Leibniz's Law: A = B if and only if A & B have ALL and ONLY the same properties
C: So, my mind is not my body

4. Analogy to the Conceivability Argument
P1: I can doubt that I’m drinking H20 P2: I cannot doubt that I’m drinking water P3: Leibniz Law C: So, Water is not H20

5. Descartes’ Divisibility Argument
P1: My body is divisible P2: My mind is not divisible P3: Leibniz Law: C: So, my mind is not my body

6. The NDE argument
P1: If substance dualism is false, then my mind cannot exist independently from my body
*P2: My mind can exists independently from my body
C: So, Substance dualism is true
*Support for P2 claims that NDEs are best explained as real afterlife experiences

7. Princess Elizabeth’s Objection to Descartes
How can a totally non-physical mind cause things to happen to a totally physical body? How can a totally physical body cause things to happen to a totally non-physical mind?

8. Physicalism
The mind is the brain itself and nothing more. In other words, mind = brain
Three kinds: a) behaviorism b) Identity theory, c) Functionalism

9. Argument for Physicalism
Neuroscience has shown a strong link between what happens to and in our brains and what happens to and in our minds
Argument for Physicalism

11. The Case of Phineas Gage

12. Against Physicalism
A complete physical description of our brains and bodies, even in every detail, still seems to leave out something. What is left out is our personal/subjective experience, the “what it's like for us.”

13. Inverted Spectrum Case

14. Property Dualism vs. Substance Dualism
Mind is not Body
Mind can exist apart from body; in other words, mind & body are independent substances
Property Dualism:
Mental states are not physical states
Mind cannot exist apart from body; in other words mind & body are two aspects of ONE AND SAME substance