2.9. Reconsidering Reality

The mind body problem has kept philosophers arguing for centuries.

The problem arises when we distinguish a body that is purely physical and a mind that is purely spiritual. How do the two connect and what implications does an understanding of the situation have for us? While seemingly abstract at first glance, the implications are tremendous and present in our daily lives, shared humanity, and our views of ourselves and reality.

Due to our immediate and rich processing of sensory inputs (sight, sound, touch, etc.) it is easy to grasp and think in the context of a physical universe. This is the body part of the mind body problem. It is much harder to make sense of the spiritual part of our nature, for it is less definitive and invisible. This is the mind part of the mind body problem. 

The mind-body distinction is directly connected to whether the universe is to be thought of as primarily material in nature (body) or spiritual in nature (mind). When it comes to the origins of the universe, materialists (body) cite the big bang and the spiritualists (mind) claim creation by an intelligent deity.

This division has held humanity in its grasps for centuries.

Let us now zoom out to consider a reframing of this problem. Causalism, which is an exercise in abandoning one’s belief in free will, is a lens or mode with which we can view the world. This lens and mode is the exact opposite to free will that the vast majority use by default. Free will and Causalism are intellectually irreconcilable beliefs. They are exactly opposite. Any reconciliation between them creates immediate contradiction. However, we can reasonably understand the differences between how reality shifts when we use one lens or the other.

Might we do the same with the mind body problem? Instead of viewing each side of the debate as stone cold fact, treat them as alternative beliefs through which we view all of reality? Perhaps we can use both the mind and body lenses.

For example, we can accept that causes have physical and spiritual components. For example, telling someone you love them has great spiritual implications, but it also requires the firing of many synapses in your brain, contraction of vocal chords, and airwaves to carry the vibrations to your lover’s ear. Other less spiritual events, like a tree falling in a remote unexplored forest may have many physical causes (loose roots from rain and heavy winds) but not as many immediate spiritual implications - at least not for humans. However, there still is the fact that the causes that led to this event actually happened. The metaphysical existence of the causes alone can be abstracted from any of the literal or physical details of the cause itself. Even the most material of causes still have the solely spiritual attribute that they exist. 

In this view we can see how any cause can have both physical (body) and spiritual (mind) properties. In this abstracted view of a cause, it now also exists not only in time and space but also outside of them. The cause can be treated as something that belongs outside of its material manifestations in reality. Beyond its physics, its existence alone allows it to be a real and specific spiritual thing.

By making room for the spiritual reality of causes, completely outside of their physical attributes, we open up a new plane of reality. The plane of non-material things having a legitimate spiritual existence. This plane seems to be where the most important and intimate elements of humanity exist. When we love another, express our feelings, or notice a familiar idiosyncrasy of a close friend, these matters have little to no weight in the physical world. Of course they have physical roots, origins, and attributes – but the parts of them that matter most belong within the spiritual dimension, the world of the mind. 

By expanding our view of causes beyond just physical properties but vitally important spiritual realities - we start to see the fertile fields from which emotional meaning grows. We may realize the distinctions between mind and body are nuanced and only with both does harmonization become a reality.