Being a materialist, you believe that all mental processes are simply brain processes or states. So, the mind is the brain. This argues the dualist side because in being a dualist, you believe that the mind and the body are distinct substances, and the mind is a nonphysical substance.
The arguments that support materialism are:
- Evolution
- Explanation of mental functioning in terms of the brain
- The principle of simplicity
Materialist argue that studying the mind in terms of dualism, you are open to endless amounts of theory. This is because there is no physical example of the mind. You are forced to make up your own theories. This is not always the best way to do that because there isn’t any hard evidence. Having a materialist look on the mind, you have hard evidence supporting your theory so there is no room for objection. But, how do you know what someone is thinking or feeling by just looking at their brain? You can’t see the messages that they are seeing or feeling. Only the person feeling those feelings knows. This is why I am more open to the dualist side. I support the argument of having souls. Without souls, what would makes us, us? They give us our emotions and personalities. They are something that you cannot physically study. Yes, that brings opportunity for objection, but that is because everyone has different ways of feeling and thinking about things. It is just human nature.