How metaphysical ignorance shapes the discussion on the nature of the mind.

The Western worldview has paradoxically adopted a counterintuitive theory that prioritizes objects over minds, despite direct conscious experience. This shift, rooted more in cultural history than sound philosophy or science, has reinforced dogmatic dualism—a model with little rational support. The article critiques dualism's major inconsistencies, arguing they ultimately bolster materialism. Psychiatrists, lacking philosophical training, struggle with the metaphysical aspects of their patients, hindering medical progress and understanding of the mind. The author emphasizes how this philosophical diversion has harmed medicine and suggests philosophical education could remedy it.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Despite the fact that humans experience the reality of consciousness first hand, a remarkable paradigm shift within the Western worldview has entrenched the notion of an inverted cognitive order: first we have objects, and only then minds, if we have them at all. How the community of minds developed such a counterintuitive theory, and how this mental product was elevated to the status of an undisputable 'scientific' principle is a long story, one that involves more cultural history than sound philosophical arguments, and nearly no science. Oddly, mainstream materialism helped qualifying another model for which very little rational support is available: dogmatic dualism. Psychiatrists in general lack the basic knowledge to deal with this metaphysical aspect of their 'objects', which greatly impoverishes the efficiency and decelerates the advancement of our understanding of the mind. This article will present the major inconsistencies of dualism, and why they ultimately promote materialism. Finally, I will stress how this diversion has been harmful for medicine, and how philosophical education could mitigate it.