How have Dualists tried to explain the apparent two-way causal interaction between mind and body? Which version of dualism – Cartesian Dualism, Parallelism or Epiphenomenalism – is the most plausible theory of mind? The distinction between our body, our minds and how they interact has long been a question discussed between philosophers of the mind. In this essay I shall begin by setting out the differences in beliefs about the location and form that the mind takes, focusing on the ways in which dualists define the mind and the body. Then I will explain the ways in which substance...
theory. Hence, I have come to a conclusion, as to which of these dualist theories are the most plausible, based on my perceptions of how my physical body behaves according to my mental states. Although not particularly comfortable with dualism itself, Cartesian dualism is the most plausible. I have come to this conclusion through simple reasoning; Cartesian dualism is the most reasonable and conceivable because it does not attempt to disregard the clearly apparent two-way causal interaction that exists between the mind and body, merely where the mind exists, and does not require divine intervention to sustain itself.