Today, as I was writing a philosophy exam comparing the different solutions we have proposed to the mind-body problem, I came across an idea that I find immensely attractive.
I was writing an essay about the problems with the functionalist point of view and had a sort of epiphany.
While pointing out the flaws in the functionalist ideal, I came to a conclusion that is different than anything I have studied so far.
My problems with the solutions to the mind-body problem that we have studied are many. I do not believe in the dualist mentality because I do not believe the mind exists as an entity separate from the brain. I don't subscribe to behaviorism because it supposes that mental states are the predisposition to behave in a certain way. This is rather restrictive as it claims that all physical behaviors are based on mental states. The mental states are the cause for the behavior. However, not all behaviors are caused by mental states and not all mental states have corresponding behaviors, so this theory must be wrong.
Functionalism also fails because it reduces mental states to be defined as the causal relationship between an input and a related output. This fails because it does not explain the underlying phenomena of feeling. Two people in the same mental state (note that the "same" mental state in two subjects may be composed of different inputs and outputs) may experience the state in completely different ways. This theory assumes that a person's mental state can be inferred by observation of the inputs he perceives and the outputs created, which of course is incorrect.
I would like to propose a new theory of mind.
