The Mind-Body Problem in PhilosophywithStafford Betty

Books Mentioned In This Interview

Stafford Betty, PhD, is a philosopher and professor of religious studies at California State University, Bakersfield. He is author of Vadiraja’s Refutation of Shankara’s Non-Dualism, The Imprisoned Splendor, The Afterlife Unveiled, and Heaven and Hell Unveiled.

Here he suggests that most people, without necessarily realizing it, are philosophical dualists. They accept intuitively that the mind or soul is of a completely different nature than the physical body. Unlike monistic materialism, dualism seems compatible with the empirical data of parapsychology. The problem with dualism, however, is that it offers no good explanation for how the mind and body are able to interact with each other. Another philosophical position, dating back to the ancient stoic philosophers and consistent with the Vedantic philosophy of India, is a perspective known as transcendental materialism. This viewpoint postulates gradations of matter to more and more subtle levels beyond those known to physics today.

(Recorded on July 10, 2015)

Published on August 17, 2015

Transcripts

We do not yet have transcripts available for this interview.

If you are be interested in helping us transcribe into any language, including English, please email friends@newthinkingallowed.org.

Share