Mind-Body Philosophy

The 3.5 pounds of gray matter in the skull processes all the information from the functioning of the physical body to the relationships with loved ones; exploring how the physical matter of the brain creates the subjective experience of life.

Exploring how humans are related to the world around them; learning the modern Western thought inherited from the Greeks; exploring how the theories of Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle still affect human thinking.

Exploring the difference between Western and Eastern philosophies; while the Western attempt to discover the truth of how things are, Eastern philosophy takes a more practical line of inquiry, examining how to best live.

Exploring how the body can direct the mind; learning how the Eastern practical disciplines of yoga and meditation, and Western habits of physical exercise can affect the brain and the mind.

The concept of the soul remains unaddressed by contemporary brain science; exploring why William James encouraged people to believe in the soul if they wanted to, but "exiled" the subject from the concerns of modern psychology.

Rene Descartes suggested a complete split between the mind and the physical body; exploring how the vast and sharply divided responses to Descartes' dualism still influence the ways in which people address the mind-body problem today.