ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a survey of theories to illustrate the clever ways in which philosophers have approached the mind–body problem since the time of Rene Descartes. It focuses on two key issues that especially relate to mental illness: whether mind is anything more than brain, and whether mind can cause things to happen. It is known that philosophers and neuroscientists have serious doubts about the validity of Cartesian dualism. Several contemporary philosophers have adopted epiphenomenalism as a general theory of mind, while others think that at least certain aspects of mind are epiphenomenal. The philosophy of behaviorism was an attractive choice until it fell out of favor towards the end of the twentieth century. Physicalism is a monist philosophy because it says that everything in the world is a physical thing. Functionalism says that mental states such as pain, thirst and love are best characterized as functions.
