Continuity: An Ontological Proposal for the Mind-Body Problem
preprint DOI: 10.20944/preprints202601.1091.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that the mind-body problem can be addressed by adopting an "ontology of continuity" and a "neuro-subjective interactive (NSI)" model, which treats subjective experiences and neural activities as interdependent and constitutive of mentality, thereby tackling causal overdetermination and physical causal closure. |
Abstract
This paper addresses the mind-body problem by highlighting the concept of continuity. Building on philosophical definitions, it introduces an "ontology of continuity" thesis to bridge the mental and the physical. Based on the thesis, the paper introduces a “neuro-subjective interactive (NSI)” model, which incorporates empirical studies from brain science. The model suggests that subjective experiences and neural activities are inter-dependent. Instead of separating between human mentality and its physical base, the paper posits that our mentality is constituted by both physical (neural) and non-physical (subjective) elements. This approach addresses two major challenges in the mind-body problem: causal overdetermination and physical causal closure.