The mind and body problem is the philosophical problem of whether there are non-physical minds, souls, or spirits. On one side we have the dualist who believe that there are causal relationships between mind and body. On the other side we have the materialist who hold a firm believe that everything that exist has the character of body or matter. In order to address the problem of whether our minds are physical or non-physical things, we must consider the two competing theories. One major argument existing against dualism is that if our minds and body share no property in common, then how is it possible for mind and body to interact. An argument existing against materialism is the question of whether or not we can accept that physical science can provide a complete account of reality and human beings. Both materialist and dualist defend their theories, in hope of presenting the better argument.
             Materialist such as Paul Churchland, believe that both mind and body are physical things. Churchland, the writer of Matter and Consciousness brings up the argument from the neural dependence of mental phenomena. The argument Churchland presents in order to defend materialism is that our minds can be affected by physical/chemical changes, which may occur in the body. For example, physical traumas, drugs, alcohol, and neurological disease affect are minds. When a person drinks or uses drugs, their body is affected as well as their mind. They begin to have blurry and unclear thoughts that may cause them to do things that they would not normally do if they weren't under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If our minds are really non-physical it should not be damaged by any physical damage caused on the body. The mind is damaged in cases such as drugs or alcohol, so it has to be physical. If our minds were simple, indivisible, nonphysical minds as the dualist maintain then how is it possible for are minds to be affected by damages that ar...