Substance Dualism and the Unity of Consciousness
Forum Philosophicum December 10, 2013 Igor Gasparov
The author argues that the standard definition of substance dualism, as recently proposed by Dean Zimmerman, fails to capture the doctrine's genuine spirit and requires essential adjustments. A new, more appropriate definition is offered that distinguishes genuine substance dualism from quasi-dualisms. The paper then contends that no currently proposed form of substance dualism—Cartesian or Emergent—can satisfactorily account for conscious subjectivity, presenting arguments against each. Because dualistic critiques of physicalism regarding the unity of the conscious subject are persuasive, the author suggests that better accounts may be found in quasi-dualistic views such as spiritualism or a broadly Aristotelian conception of human persons.