Mental States and Human Behavior

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses an individual's mental state, seemingly disconnected from the physical world, can affect the physical world in a meaningful way.

From the Paper:

"The issue at hand is whether or not a mental state can be a causal force in the physical world. To use a particularly relevant example, did my own anxiety (or anticipation, depending on when I was asked) about writing this paper cause me to sit down and write it? Can an individual's mental state, seemingly disconnected from the physical world, affect the physical world in a meaningful way? Some say yes and others no, alternately - and sometimes unknowingly - relying on reductive or anti-reductive arguments. For myself, it makes little sense to suggest that all decisions made are simply complex operations of the central nervous system and can be reduced to simple physical processes. While I am not necessarily arguing for a non-physical approach to the question, it is nonetheless crucial to point out that the reduction is not wholly the answer."

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