In this Discussion Board, students will attempt to articulate a position responding to the mind-body problem.
Informed by and substantiated with references to your readings and videos, please respond to the following question:
Do you think that your conscious mind is simply a function of brain activity, or is it a non-physical material substance? Another way of asking this question is: Is consciousness physical/material, or is consciousness immaterial?
As you think about your answer to this question, a few subsequent questions may arise that you'll need to consider, such as:
- If the conscious mind is reducible to being nothing more than brain activity, than what - if anything - separates human beings from other animals, and what separates human beings from potential artificial intelligent technologies?
- If the conscious mind is not reducible to mere brain activity, then how does something immaterial (the mind/spirit) cause movement and action in the body?