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George Berkeley's Theory Of Physicalism

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A possible critic for the theory of physicalism is George Berkeley. He was an Irish philosopher whose most recognized for his theory now known as subjective idealism. Subjective idealism is the idea that everything that exists either is a mind or depends on a mind and the idea that matter does not exist (Flage, n.d.). Berkeley also argues that all physical objects are composed of ideas, which is supported by the premises that humans perceive objects, and humans perceive only ideas (Downing, 2013). This falsifies the proof that is used to support why the body is physical. Based on this metaphysical theory, it would be contradictory to prove that the body is physical through the means of physical theory, as the theory is based on a non-physical …show more content…

Berkeley brings up a good point that the mind can be tricked and that what one perceives may not be what is truly there, but it must be noted that due to the complexity of the universe, there is little probability that a single mind fabricated the entire universe. Therefore, to some extent, one can perceive other people and their bodies. Based on that assumption, it can be proved that the body exists when the mind is absent. Revisiting the example of the coma, a person in a coma is commonly considered to be unconscious and lack a mind. However, the body does not cease to exist like how dreams cease to exist when one wakes up. Instead, other people can still perceive the body and interact with it, despite not being possessed by a mind. As humans near the possibility of developing technologies that can manipulate how the mind and body interact with the physical world, discussions intensify on whether such a feat is plausible or not. So, the final question is: can the body live without the mind? The conclusion that has been reached here says yes. Through an ideal set of physics, physicalism can be reliable enough to prove that the body is a material substance. And with evidence that the material property of the body allows for it to be independent of the mind, a strong claim can be made that the mind is dependent on the body. In conclusion, the mind and body rely on each other; however, the mind is more reliant on the body due to

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