Which philosophical view holds mind and body are part of the same physical substance?

Which philosophical view holds mind and body are part of the same physical substance?

• A. Dualism
• B. Monism
• C. Idealism
• D. Materialism

Answer: (B)

Monism holds that there is only one kind of substance in the world. When applied to mind and body, it means they aren’t two separate substances but two aspects of the same underlying stuff. If you think of thoughts, feelings, and sensations as brain processes, you’re using monism—the mind is the brain, and both are rooted in one physical substrate. This fits the idea that mind and body come from the same physical substance. Dualism would claim two kinds of substances (mental and physical), idealism says only mental stuff exists, and materialism is a specific monist view that the sole substance is physical; monism covers the broader idea that mind and body share one substance, with materialism being a concrete instantiation of that.

Monism holds that there is only one kind of substance in the world. When applied to mind and body, it means they aren’t two separate substances but two aspects of the same underlying stuff. If you think of thoughts, feelings, and sensations as brain processes, you’re using monism—the mind is the brain, and both are rooted in one physical substrate. This fits the idea that mind and body come from the same physical substance. Dualism would claim two kinds of substances (mental and physical), idealism says only mental stuff exists, and materialism is a specific monist view that the sole substance is physical; monism covers the broader idea that mind and body share one substance, with materialism being a concrete instantiation of that.