Dueling over Dualism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v4i1.72Keywords:
Naturalism, Review EssayAbstract
Stewart Goetz and Charles Taliaferro in Naturalism (2008), and Chet Raymo in When God is Gone Everything is Holy (2008), take opposite views on the virtues of dualism, particularly regarding the immaterial soul and the material body. Goetz and Taliaferro hit hard at the implausibility of strict naturalism’s reduction of mind to brain, sharply criticizing broad naturalism’s difficulties with free, normative, value-led, personal action. If the choice is between the immaterial soul and naturalist denials and reductions, they defend dualism. Chet Raymo, as a scientist, loves nature and empirical method too much to accept the need for any other realm or way of knowing. If the choice is between modest intellectual integrity and dogmatic obscurantism, he rejects dualism. I reply that these are false choices: Whitehead’s mental and physical ‘duality’ in his bipolar cosmology trumps the need for ‘dualism’ without requiring denial of effective mentality and free personal action.References
Alexander, S. 1920. Space, Time, and Deity (London: Macmillan).
Ducasse, C.J. 1951. Nature, Mind and Death (La Salle, IL: Open Court).
Ferré, F. 1996. Being and Value: Toward a Constructive Postmodern Metaphysics (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press).
———. 1998. Knowing and Value: Toward a Constructive Postmodern Epistemology (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press).
———. 2001. Living and Value: Toward a Constructive Postmodern Ethics (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press).
Goetz, S., and C. Taliaferro. 2008. Naturalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).
Nagel, T. 1998. ‘Conceiving the Impossible and the Mind-Body Problem’, Philosophy 73: 337-52. doi:10.1017/S0031819198000035.
Raymo, C. 2008. When God is Gone Everything is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist (Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books).
Shields, George W. 2009. ‘Quo Vadis? On Current Prospects for Process Philosophy and Theology’, American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 30.2: 125-52.
Whitehead, A.N. 1933. Adventures of Ideas (New York: The Free Press).
Ducasse, C.J. 1951. Nature, Mind and Death (La Salle, IL: Open Court).
Ferré, F. 1996. Being and Value: Toward a Constructive Postmodern Metaphysics (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press).
———. 1998. Knowing and Value: Toward a Constructive Postmodern Epistemology (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press).
———. 2001. Living and Value: Toward a Constructive Postmodern Ethics (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press).
Goetz, S., and C. Taliaferro. 2008. Naturalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).
Nagel, T. 1998. ‘Conceiving the Impossible and the Mind-Body Problem’, Philosophy 73: 337-52. doi:10.1017/S0031819198000035.
Raymo, C. 2008. When God is Gone Everything is Holy: The Making of a Religious Naturalist (Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books).
Shields, George W. 2009. ‘Quo Vadis? On Current Prospects for Process Philosophy and Theology’, American Journal of Theology and Philosophy 30.2: 125-52.
Whitehead, A.N. 1933. Adventures of Ideas (New York: The Free Press).
Published
2010-03-19
Issue
Section
Review Essay
How to Cite
Ferré, F. (2010). Dueling over Dualism. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 4(1), 72-87. https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v4i1.72
