Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Vaught, Jimmy Ray Author's Email Address jvaught2@student.gsu.edu; jvaught@qx.net URN etd-07172008-171702 Title Kim's Pairing Problem and the Viability of Substance Dualism Degree Master of Arts Department Philosophy Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Andrea Scarantino Committee Co-Chair Eddy Nahmias Committee Co-Chair Sebastian Rand Committee Member Keywords
- Substance Dualism
- Mental Causation
- Jaegwon Kim
- Pairing Problem
Date of Defense 2008-07-15 Availability unrestricted 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.Files
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