4 - The Philosophy and Science of the Mind

Summary

Philip Clayton does not consider himself a dualist, but his consistent privileging of consciousness might suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, Clayton’s premise that the mind is somehow something more than a physical process is an intuitive one, and one that is widely shared – not only in the general public but (as will become evident) in academia as well. Clayton is by no means alone in privileging the mind as a nonphysical aspect of humans that is unexplainable in physicalist terms and uniquely open to divine (inter)action. What we find when examining positions such as Clayton’s is that generally they are driven not by science, but from philosophy, intuition, or common sense. Those privileging the mind as uniquely nonphysical are apt to reject all scientific explanations of consciousness as insufficient, and as failing to address what has come to be known as the HP.