Philosophical and Scientific Views on Mind, Body, and Death
Philosophical and Scientific Views on Mind, Body, and Death
Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory
Darwin not only extended the theory of evolution to all living creatures but also substantially changed the way of thinking from one form into two principles: “of each species, more individuals are born than can survive,” and “among them, there is a struggle.” Any modification that occurs in the naturally-selected individual will take the concept of the survival fight from the demographer and economist Malthus, according to whom the struggle for survival was due to an increase in population demographics.
Plato: Soul vs. Body
Plato made a distinction between soul and body. For him, the soul is enclosed in the body like in a prison. His thought is that the soul is divine, immaterial, eternal, and rules over the body, which is human. The rational soul is the true essence of being human, so the exercise of reason is noble work.
Aristotle: Matter and Form
Aristotle’s thought evolved from a strong doctrine of Platonism to hylomorphism. In his work De Anima, Aristotle extends the dualism of matter and form to living beings and humans. According to his idea, the individual is the complete substance, composed of matter, which is power, and form or substance, which allows the power to become an act. The subject becomes full, soul and body. As far as it is concerned, it is not possible to dissociate the two.
Descartes: Doubt and Dualism
Descartes introduced new ways of thinking and a basic principle: doubt. A doubt about everything that is applied except the personal conviction of “I am thinking.” With this, he analyzed the relationship between the mind that thinks and the world in different realities around it. He considered two types: res extensa, which is the material, spatial, and mechanical, and res cogitans, which is the immaterial, spaceless, and conscious. To the first group belongs the body and to the second, the soul.
Dualistic Responses
According to the dualist position, mind and brain are two different entities that can interact or not; they do not share common characteristics. The brain is material, and the mind is immaterial. It has been part of the dualistic explanation that they have denied the relationship between mind and brain.
Monistic Responses
Monism considers that mental processes are properties or results of the brain’s operation. There are not two different entities, but only one, the physical material, which produces a type of special phenomenon, explained by its structures and connections.
Emergentist Responses
There is a group of answers that deny monism and dualism. Although in some cases they are placed in positions close to one group or another, they do not agree that there are two irreducible principles, as claimed by the dualists, nor do they agree with the reductionism that monism states. Emergentism states that different levels are actually different properties.
Cognitive Science and Theory of Mind
Cognitive science shows an interesting dimension to the study of the mind-brain relationship: the need to be a complex and diverse vision, with varied approaches and different modes. Conceptually fundamental principles:
- All brains are different.
- The brain develops from a genetic program but receives a variety of environmental influences that produce different developments, different neural pathways, and various capacities.
- The individual may experience changes in their brain that require a restructuring and reassignment of functions.
- A theory of mind must be consistent; it must be able to explain the physical and psychic phenomena, how the brain works as an organized system in which there is a mutual relationship and interaction among the parts and processes.
Perspectives on Death
Death can be viewed from different perspectives:
- Biological Death: From biology and medicine, for many years, it was believed that the interruption of the heartbeat was synonymous with death. However, we now know that the heart can still function through medical techniques.
- Socio-cultural Death: Death is interpreted and lived according to our own culture and society. Therefore, we can say that dying is a cultural event and death is a social one.
- Death as a Personal Event: Death is part of the biographical process, so we can look at it with anxious concern, indifference, etc.