Gertler's Argument For Dualism

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The Mind-Body problem has caused disagreement between renowned Physicalists and Dualists for centuries. Dualism is the theory that there is a distinct separation between the physical body and mind. Physicalists believe that the mind is a part of the physical body and is not more extensive than its physical properties. I side with the Dualists and believe that the mind is much more than simply a part of our physical bodies. By applying Brie Gertler’s argument for Dualism through the distinction between pain and C-fibre stimulation, Renee Descartes’ argument for the existence of res cogitans and un-measurable substances, and Frank Jackson’s proving of the incompleteness of Physicalism, I intend to prove that Dualism exists. The key claim among…show more content…
A typical Dualist believes that experiencing pain is possible without C-fibre stimulation and this is what I intend to prove through Gertler’s argument. Most physicalists agree with the identity thesis, which states that every mental state has an identical physical state. Gertler’s Disembodiment argument counters this and states that “The identity thesis, which says that every mental state is identical to some physical state, is false.”(Gertler 316) In order to defend Gertler’s argument we must first disprove a commonly used analogy between pain and water. Physicalists claim that like water, pain has a hidden essence. For example, a person that is not familiar with chemistry may argue that water can still be present despite the lack of H20. This of course is not true. In order to prove the disembodiment argument it must be understood that we conceptualize water as having a hidden essence, one that can only be discovered through scientific trials. This hidden essence is H20. Unlike water, pain has no hidden essence. If you feel that you are in pain, then you simply are. Scientific
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