Mind
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Does the human mind consist of the activity of our brain, or does the mind transcend matter, being the spiritual component of our being? The two views on this philosophical question are known as Monism and Dualism.
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Monism vs. Dualism
According to Monism the human mind is nothing but the activity of the brain. The natural conclusion of this view is that when a person dies their mind ceases to exist.
According to Dualism the human mind transcends matter, being the spiritual component of our being. The natural conclusion of this view is that when a person dies their mind (soul) leaves their body and continues to exist.
Monism and the view of naturalism
Monism is the naturalistic view of the human mind and so it is the view that dominates mainstream science. Monism's dominance is not because it fits observation any better than Dualism but because it is the only view allowed by absolute Naturalism. Regardless of what the observational data may be it will be interpreted in terms of Monism or else it does not get published in a mainstream scientific journal. The result is that when brain activity is associated with a certain behavior or memory, it is interpreted as where that behavior or memory resides in the brain. This is then used to support and reinforce Monism.
Dualism, the body and the soul
What is lost in studies of the brain is: what should we expect from the brain under Dualism. Under Dualism, for the soul and body to work as a single being, the soul and brain would have to work closely together, with constant two way communication and with each affecting the other. The result is that the action of the soul would trigger activity in the brain and activity in the brain would affect workings of the soul.
As a result when brain activity is triggered by a thought or a memory, it is the brain reacting to the action of the mind and not that those functions reside in the active portion of the brain. Furthermore, reacting to its biology, the brain sends signals to the soul often pressuring it do as the body wishes. If this did not happen then people could starve just because they did not want to eat. The fact the mind can override those biological pressures by force of its will is a strong argument for Dualism, since if the mind were purely a product of biology, it would most likely be a helpless slave of that biology.
While a loss of memory due to brain damage could show that the memory resides in the brain, it could also mean that the mind is blocking memories that trigger activity in damaged sections of the brain, so as to prevent trauma.
The brain affects the soul’s perception of the world, and this perception would be affected by damage to the brain. Furthermore the soul’s desired actions are translated into bodily action through the brain and a damaged brain would miscommunicate the soul’s desired actions to the body. The result is that even if a person's mind (soul) is undamaged, a damaged brain would still affect actions, since it would cause either the soul to misjudge a situation or the body not to act as the mind (soul) wishes.
As a result, it is impossible to distinguish between Monism and Dualism simply by studying brain functions and the like. The main question is: can the existence of the soul be empirically and objectively studied? It turns out that in the early 20th century a study was done that provides objective empirical evidence for the soul. The main assumption of the study was that the soul would have mass. The study found when a human dies there is a small sudden loss of mass that cannot be accounted for by a final exhalation or loss of bodily fluids.
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