Abstract Accepted

Mind-Body Dualism: A Critique from a Health Perspective

Neeta Mehta*

Abstract

Philosophical theory about the nature of human beings has far reaching consequences on our understanding of various issues faced by them. Once taken as self-evident, it becomes the foundation on which knowledge gets built.  It then gradually becomes implicit, but continues to determine the way things are looked at, understood and acted upon without conscious awareness on the part of the viewer/knower/actor.  The cause of concern is that this theoretical framework rarely gets questioned despite its inherent limitations and self-defeating consequences, leading to crisis in the concerned field.
The field which is facing crisis today is that of medicine and the paradigmatic stance that is responsible for the crisis is Cartesian dualism - a view that mind and body are essentially separate entities.  This dualism was proved to be extremely useful in the period of religious embargo on the study of body. Subsequently reinforced by various discoveries and inventions in natural sciences, this metaphysical viewpoint has been eventually reified to the status of truth.  In the process, paradoxically, it had impaired our understanding of the real health concerns of human beings.
This paper will discuss Cartesian mind-body dualism in the context of the practice of medicine. Focusing more closely on how disease, health and treatment are defined through this position, the paper proposes to build up its critique by throwing light on its accomplishments, limitations and self-defeating consequences. The paper will also seek to understand why this dualism is still alive despite its disavowal from philosophers, health practitioners and laypeople.

Key words: Mind-Body Dualism; Cartesian Dualism; Cartesian Dualism and Medicine
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PhD. Designated Reader, Department of Psychology , KET’s V. G. Vaze College, Mulund East, Mumbai -400 081, India
Mailing address: 6, Phulrani, Sahitya Sahawas, Madhusudan Kalelkar Marg, Bandra, East, Mumbai – 400 051, India.
Email: neetam90@hotmail.com

2 Workshop 27Nov  2009. Accepted