Metaphysics Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Mind and free will === {{main|Mind|Free will}} [[File:Dualism-vs-Monism.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|alt=Diagram of approaches to the mind–body problem|Different approaches toward resolving the mind–body problem]] Mind encompasses phenomena like [[thinking]], [[perceiving]], [[feeling]], and [[desiring]] as well as the underlying faculties responsible for these phenomena.<ref>{{harvnb|Morton|2005|p=[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199264797.001.0001/acref-9780199264797-e-1608?rskey=jqUtkA&result=1601 603]}}</ref> The [[mind–body problem]] is the challenge of clarifying the relation between physical and mental phenomena. According to [[Cartesian dualism]], minds and bodies are distinct substances. They causally interact with each other in various ways but can, at least in principle, exist on their own.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|McLaughlin|1999|pp=684–685}} | {{harvnb|Kim|2005|p=608}} }}</ref> This view is rejected by [[Monism|monists]], who argue that reality is made up of only one kind. According to [[idealism]], everything is mental, including physical objects, which may be understood as ideas or perceptions of conscious minds. Materialists, by contrast, state that all reality is at its core material. Some deny that mind exists but the more common approach is to explain mind in terms of certain aspects of matter, such as brain states, behavioral [[disposition]]s, or functional roles.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|McLaughlin|1999|pp=685–691}} | {{harvnb|Kim|2005|p=608}} | {{harvnb|Ramsey|2022|loc=Lead Section}} }}</ref> [[Neutral monism|Neutral monists]] argue that reality is fundamentally neither material nor mental and suggest that matter and mind are both derivative phenomena.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Stubenberg|Wishon|2023|loc=Lead Section; § 1.3 Mind and Matter Revisited}} | {{harvnb|Griffin|1998}} }}</ref> A key aspect of the mind–body problem is the [[hard problem of consciousness]], which concerns the question of how physical systems like brains can produce phenomenal consciousness.<ref>{{harvnb|Weisberg|loc=Lead Section, § 1. Stating the Problem}}</ref> The status of free will as the ability of a person to choose their [[Action (philosophy)|actions]] is a central aspect of the mind–body problem.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Timpe|loc=Lead Section}} | {{harvnb|Olson|2001|loc=[https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/mind-body-problem Mind–Body Problem]}} | {{harvnb|Armstrong|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uf7EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 94]}} }}</ref> Metaphysicians are interested in the relation between free will and [[causal determinism]], the view that everything in the universe, including human behavior, is determined by preceding events and laws of nature. It is controversial whether causal determinism is true, and, if so, whether this would imply that there is no free will. According to [[incompatibilism]], free will cannot exist in a deterministic world since there is no true choice or control if everything is determined. [[Hard determinists]] infer from this observation that there is no free will while [[Libertarianism (metaphysics)|libertarians]] conclude that determinism must be false. [[Compatibilists]] take a third approach by arguing that determinism and free will do not exclude each other, for instance, because a person can still act in tune with their motivation and choices even if they are determined by other forces. Free will plays a key role in ethics in regard to the [[moral responsibility]] people have for what they do.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|O’Connor|Franklin|2022|loc=Lead Section, § 2. The Nature of Free Will}} | {{harvnb|Timpe|loc=Lead Section, § 1. Free Will, Free Action and Moral Responsibility, § 3. Free Will and Determinism}} | {{harvnb|Armstrong|2018|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=uf7EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 94]}} }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page