What is Substance Dualism?

Substance Dualism is the belief that the mind and body are two distinct substances. For instance, Descartes' Substance Dualism held that the mind was composed of a none-physical substance and that the body was composed of a physical substance. Substance Dualism can either claim that the mind and body, as two distinct substances, interact or do not interact. Some theories say both mental and physical events can impact each other (interactionism), some say physical events can impact mental events but not the other way around (epiphenomenalism), and some that neither interact with each other at all (parallelism). The key point to remember is that, unlike other forms of Dualism, such as Property Dualism, Substance Dualism holds that the mind and body are made of distinct substances.

Answered by Elisa A. Philosophy tutor

12268 Views

See similar Philosophy A Level tutors

Related Philosophy A Level answers

All answers ▸

How should I structure a main-body paragraph in a 25-mark essay question?


Briefly outline the tripartite view of knowledge and explain how a case of a lucky true belief (a Gettier-style problem) can be used to argue against this view


Outline Freud's tripartite psychodynamic model of the psyche.


Explain how Edmund Gettier revised the tripartite theory of knowledge.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy