<P> Dualism is closely associated with the thought of René Descartes ( 1641 ) , which holds that the mind is a nonphysical -- and therefore , non-spatial -- substance . Descartes clearly identified the mind with consciousness and self - awareness and distinguished this from the brain as the seat of intelligence . Hence , he was the first to formulate the mind -- body problem in the form in which it exists today . Dualism is contrasted with various kinds of monism . Substance dualism is contrasted with all forms of materialism , but property dualism may be considered a form of emergent materialism or non-reductive physicalism in some sense . </P>
<P> Dualism is closely associated with the thought of René Descartes ( 1641 ) , which holds that the mind is a nonphysical -- and therefore , non-spatial -- substance . Descartes clearly identified the mind with consciousness and self - awareness and distinguished this from the brain as the seat of intelligence . Hence , he was the first to formulate the mind -- body problem in the form in which it exists today . Dualism is contrasted with various kinds of monism . Substance dualism is contrasted with all forms of materialism , but property dualism may be considered a form of emergent materialism or non-reductive physicalism in some sense . </P>
was one of the first to suggest that the mind can cause physical ailments
was one of the first to suggest that the mind can cause physical ailments
René Descartes
René Descartes