Dualism

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the concept of dualism, which is any philosophical system that attempts to explain 'everything' in terms of two distinct principles. The paper discusses how dualism relates to religion today in the United States, according to William DuBay. The paper then discusses the psychological theories of dualism, in terms of the mind and the body and also discusses dualism in terms of human behavior.

From the Paper:

"Dualism, which allowed Descartes to distinguish mechanical behavior from behavior generated by free will, thus resolving the conflict between the materialist interests and religious concerns of his era, continues to underpin scientific accounts of human action (Chiesa). Although psychology generally subscribes to the idea that individuals comprise behavior and something else, and dissects the individual along the lines of intention, beliefs, and perception, radical behaviorism dispensed with dualism, and starts "from a different view of persons in that it does not separate them into behavior and some other internal system" (Chiesa). Thus the individual is the sum of what they do, and are defined in terms of their behavior, with no other entity. Because radical behaviorism does not assume that behavior counts as evidence of something else, the individual is a unity rather than a duality, "an interactive part of its environment rather than a contained and separate entity" (Chiesa). Therefore, the individual operates in rather on an environment, and because a person is what he does, behavior takes primary place (Chiesa)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Calef, Scott. "Dualism and the Mind." The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved June 17 2006 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/dualism.htm
• Chiesa, Mecca. "Beyond mechanism and dualism: rethinking the scientific foundations of psychology." British Journal of Psychology. August 01 1998. Retrieved June 17 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
• "Dualism." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2006. Retrieved June 17 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
• DuBay, William H. "The crisis of dualism." Free Inquiry: Council for Democratic and Secular Humanism, Inc. February 01 2004. Retrieved June 17 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.
• Eliasmith, Chris. "Dualism." Philosophy of the Mind. May 11 2004. Retrieved June 17 2006 from: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~philos/MindDict/dualism.html#references

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• Analytical Essay # 139630 : "Monism and Dualism"
• Term Paper # 141231 : "Descartes Argues Cartesian Dualism"

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