Date of Award
7-18-2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Philosophy
First Advisor
Andrea Scarantino - Co-Chair
Second Advisor
Eddy Nahmias - Co-Chair
Third Advisor
Sebastian Rand
Abstract
Mental causation between the material and the immaterial has been problematic for interactionist substance dualism ever since its first major proponent René Descartes. The contemporary philosopher Jaegwon Kim believes he has found an argument that shows exactly why an immaterial event cannot be said to cause a material event; he calls this the pairing problem argument. This thesis will argue that there is actually sufficient empirical evidence to suggest that Kim’s argument is unsuccessful due to one of its premises being false. Furthermore, this thesis will also argue that interactionist substance dualism is actually a philosophically viable alternative, and lastly ways are sketched of how one might go about constructing such a view responsibly.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/1059777
Recommended Citation
Vaught, Jimmy Ray, "Kim's Pairing Problem and the Viability of Substance Dualism." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2008.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/1059777