The Meaning of The Mind and Soul Essay - 852 Words

Death and immortality Since the times of Plato and before, humans have pondered the existence of a soul and the afterlife. I am going to present my argument for the existence of a soul and the potential for surviving ones physical death. For the purpose of my argument I will define that the meaning of the mind and soul are one and the same. The two main accepted views of the human condition are that of the physicalist and that of the dualist. The physicalist views the human condition in a purely physical state. That is to say that the human mind and consciousness is confined to the human body, and thus when the body dies so does the mind. The dualist view holds that the human condition is made up of two parts. The first part being the†¦show more content†¦Since there is definitely some close interactions between the body and mind, why do we need to make the distinction between the two as being separate from one another? The answer to this lies in the very nature of the human mind and its ability to think and reflect on issues that are not required for the body to exist. The body is supplied with everything it needs to survive. We have hands and feet that allow us to gather and eat food, eyes that allow us to see, and the physical need to reproduce to continue the species. These are all attributes that are common among all living things and thus, the only attributes needed to survive, but the mind requires much more than just the basis of survival. We crave things which are not necessary to our survival, such as knowledge, passion, and the ability to question our very existence. This is by definition the duality of our nature and therefore is why we can identify two distinct parts. We can also look at the properties that make up a human being in two distinct ways. We have physical properties that consist of size, weight, and place in space and time. We also have mental properties that cannot be used to describe other physical objects, such as consciousness which includes per ceptual and emotional experiences, and intentionality which consist of beliefs, desires and the ability to plan (Robison). It can be argued that theseShow MoreRelatedCartesian Dualism And The Body Essay1009 Words   |  5 Pagesmany people have really thought about what the mind is? How is the mind connected to the body? Are they two separate things or are the body and the mind the same thing? There are different theories to answer these questions. A philosopher, Descarte, believes in Cartesian Dualism, which is that the mind and body both exist, but are two distinct things: physical stuff and mental stuff. The mind is not located in physical space and is an immaterial soul, whereas the body is a physical being and theseRead MorePlatos Five Dialogues Of The Mind, Body And Body1167 Words   |  5 PagesThere is a mind-body problem that many philosophers try to solve. This problem can be simply stated in a question: what is the relationship between mind and body, mind and matter, or soul and body? One â€Å"answer† to this problem is the dualistic view which Plato had. Dualism can be defined as the division of something, such as the soul and body, in two different aspects. Dualists believe the soul and body are joined together but are two separate entities. It is understood that the soul and body areRead MoreThe Naturalists Of American Literature1087 Words   |  5 PagesNaturalists of American Literature Henry David Thoreau tests the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson by living at a place known as Walden Pond. Here at Walden Pond, Thoreau discovers that in a physical aspect, nature brings a deepness into our minds and into our souls. One’s imagination is uplifted, and this changes a person’s entire perspective of life. Both Thoreau and Emerson believed that nature forces people to not have to depend on others ideas. People are able to develop their own ideas in a moreRead MoreThe Biblical Interpretation Of Exodus And Song Of Solomon 793 Words   |  4 Pagesthe most difficult book to interpret and often be interpreted as an allegory. 1. Spirit, soul, body trichotomy allegorical interpretation Spirit, soul, and body trichotomy had a great impact on the Chinese Christian theology. Human nature was composed of spirit, soul and body. The difference between body and soul was obvious, and the difference between soul and spirit was: soul means a person s will, mind and emotions, but spirit was more abstract, meant an ability of knowing God, or a spiritualRead MoreAn Ageing Body934 Words   |  4 Pagesviewed by my peers) are restricted to the limitations of an ageing body. So what is the â€Å"real me.†? I’m thinking of my spirit, my soul or indeed my source of mental energy. Call it what you will but it is not finite, it lives on when the body can no longer sustain it’s physical well being. I like the notion of an interacting energy, rather than that of a soul. The word soul conveys a feeling of a self contained unit, independent of all influences other than the body it supposedly inhabits. Energy onRead MoreThe Theory Of The Forms Figures Into Plato s / Socrates Reflections1471 Words   |  6 Pagesthat the soul exists and must always exist. Although, his complete conception of Forms is not captured in the Phaedo, We can still use this dialectic to address his arguments. In this paper, I will attempt to describe the Forms. To do this, I will detail the properties of the Forms and what they are meant to do. Then, I will explain how the concept of the Forms figures into Plato’s/Socrates’ reflections. Socrates uses t he concept of forms to construct an argument to conclude that the soul must existRead MoreThe Biblical Interpretation Of Exodus Andsong Of Solomon 1336 Words   |  6 Pagesallegory. 1. An allegorical interpretation based on trichotomy of human nature: Spirit, soul, body The trichotomy of human nature theory had a great impact on the Chinese Christian theology. It believed that human nature was trichotomous, composed of spirit, soul and body. The difference between the body and the soul was obvious, and the difference between the soul and spirit is: the soul includes of the will, mind and emotions; but the spirit refers to an ability of knowing God, or a spiritual natureRead MoreAnalysis Of Bonaventure s The Journey Of The Mind1125 Words   |  5 PagesIn Bonaventure’s The Journey of the Mind to God, chapters 3-4 the author continues with the steps in the Ascent to God by the consideration of God through his image that is imprinted on our natural powers and by the consideration of God in his image reformed through the gifts of grace. The third and fourth steps deal with the image of God in the mind. In the third step the soul is said to be turning away from consideration of visible things to itself as the image of God. Through memory, inte lligenceRead MoreCompare and contrast two beliefs about life after death. Assess which of these two views may provide a stronger philosophical basis for belief in life after death?1418 Words   |  6 Pagesphilosophers disagree on the meaning of end of life as many people agree on death as the end of our existence however while others argue that we continue in some form after death. Many ideas relating to our existence after death include; the continuation of our genes thought our descendants, immortality of the soul, resurrection of the body, reincarnation and the idea that we live on in memories of others. Many religious beliefs are based on the idea that humans possess a soul or spirit which existsRead MoreThe Mind-Body Problem Essay1204 Words   |  5 Pagesneuroscience, this has proven to be strong evidence in supporting materialism. By defining what Cartesian dualists and materialists mean by the ‘brain’, ‘mind’, ‘body’ and ‘soulà ¢â‚¬â„¢, an argument on behalf of Cartesians dualists will be reached, that responds to evidence concerning brain injuries with the claims that the brain is only ‘an instrument of the soul’. This will lead to the conclusion that there is stronger contemporary support for materialism due to neuroscience and that the Cartesian dualism argument