The Story of the Ghost in the Machine 1

Abstract

Once upon a time, many philosophers might have followed Descartes in thinking of the mind as a distinct substance to the body—a spirit, soul, perhaps, or mind-stuff. Lurking somewhere deep within us, this strange and wondrous substance was the repository of our beliefs, desires, hopes and fears. When our bodies moved about the world—placing us in front of a sunset, for example, or having us bite into a rotten apple—changes resulted in this inner world—thoughts about beauty, perhaps, or feelings of disgust. In turn, changes within this inner substance might bring about changes to our body—we might resolve to linger a while in front of the view or throw the apple away in disgust. Despite these frequent interactions with the outside world, however, our inner world was quite unlike the material stuff that makes up atoms, tables or the human body. And of course, unlike our bodies, it might also hope to live happily ever after.