Attribute dualism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Attribute dualism - Coursework Example although very beautiful; and pleasant to look at, their beauty only comes from their physical properties but they cannot be reduced to them (Rodriguez, 5). According to Stent (11), the mind and the body are basically different substances or matter, which results in the problem of lack of an underlying link between the body and the mind. However, one definite fact is that the essence of the mind is thinking while that of the body is physical existence, which is also referred to as extension. Therefore, without a mind, any human being would just be a ghost in a machine (Braddon-Mitchell and Jackson, 136). However, the mind makes a person and through its non-physical attribute or feature, makes a person complete and controls the physical body (Rodriguez, 5). The most challenging part of this concept is how to separate the mind and the brain. However, this challenge can be overcome by an illustration of a container which represents ourselves, including our physical body and physical brain, as well as the other different non physical features such as our spirit, soul and mind (Stent, 11). The mind, soul and spirit will then be regarded as the conscious part, which manifests itself though the same way in which sound and picture waves, which are also non-material, manifest themselves in a television. The major critic of this theory is the materialism theory, which states that everything contained in the universe, including the brain or human mind, is made up of physical materials and that spiritual attributes are non existent (Stent, 12). Rodriguez, Gonzalo. Descarte’s Substance Dualism and His Independence Conception of Substance. Retrieved on 13th February 2012 from: