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Philosophy

The Mind-Body Problem and Substance Dualism

Quick fact

Descartes, the father of substance dualism, famously argued that the mind and body interact through the pineal gland, a small structure in the brain — a claim that modern neuroscience has largely rejected.

Why this is interesting

You feel a sharp pain after stubbing your toe. The pain is intensely real, yet no amount of peering into your toe reveals anything like a 'pain' inside the tissue. How does an immaterial experience arise from a physical body? That's the mind-body problem.