Mind/Body Problem

Throughout this course we will build an argumentative paper in stages, beginning with expository sections and working up to a final section where you argue for a thesis of your own. The topic of the paper is the Mind/Body Problem, and the eventual goal of the paper is to argue in support of the philosophical theory of the mind that you think best solves it.

For the first expository section of this paper, write a 500-700 word draft explaining what the Mind/Body Problem is, using an example from popular media to illustrate the issue. The choice of examples is entirely up to you: it can be a film, a television series, a book, etc. — anything that you think will help your reader understand and appreciate the Mind/Body Problem.

In addition to the material on the Mind/Body Problem provided in class, there are sections in these articles from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/#MinBod) and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (https://iep.utm.edu/rene-descartes-mind-body-distinction-dualism/) that you might find helpful. Of course, in the draft you should explain the Mind/Body Problem entirely in your own words.