Framing the Mind-Body Problem in Contemporary Neuroscientific and Sunni Islamic Theological Discourse. New Bioeth 2018 Jul;24(2):158-175
Date
03/06/2018Pubmed ID
29504485DOI
10.1080/20502877.2018.1438835Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85042934720 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 3 CitationsAbstract
Famously posed by seventeenth-century French philosopher René Descartes, the mind-body problem remains unresolved in western philosophy and science, with both disciplines unable to move convincingly beyond the dualistic model. The persistence of dualism calls for a reframing of the problem through interdisciplinary modes of inquiry that include non-western points of view. One such perspective is Islamic theology of the soul, which, while approaching the problem from a distinct point of view, also adopts a position commensurate with (substance) dualism. Using this point of convergence as a conceptual starting point, we argue that bringing into dialogue contemporary neuroscientific, philosophy of mind, and Sunni Islamic theological discourses may provide a fruitful way of reframing the age-old mind-body problem. This paper provides an overview of how these three discourses have approached the issue of the mind-body (-soul) problem. Juxtaposing these three discourses, we hope, may ignite further scholarly dialogue and investigation.
Author List
Qazi F, Fette D, Jafri SS, I Padela AAuthor
Aasim Padela MD Vice Chair, Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
ConsciousnessHumans
Islam
Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical
Neurosciences
Philosophy
Theology
