Reference: Postulate Mechanics (PM)
Dualism is the philosophical view that reality consists of two fundamentally distinct kinds of things or properties. In philosophy of mind—the most prominent context for dualism—it holds that mental phenomena and physical phenomena are fundamentally different and irreducible to one another.
Monism rejects this division, asserting there is fundamentally only one kind of substance underlying all reality. The mind and body are not separate entities but different aspects or manifestations of the same underlying reality. If mind and body are fundamentally different kinds of things, they won’t be able to interact causally.
Postulate Mechanics postulates oneness of the universe. It, therefore, sees dualism to be an anomaly of discontinuity. There must be missing data, which is generating this anomaly. There appears to be a missing gradient between the non-material (mental phenomena), and the material (physical phenomena).
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Gradient of Substance
The non-material and material can influence each other. That means that there is a gradient of substance between them, just like there is a gradient of temperature between hot and cold.
In philosophy, a clear understanding of “substance” seems to be missing. Western metaphysics looks at substance as a fundamental entity that can “stand on its own,” but this definition presents an anomaly. How can there be such a fundamental entity if it is not manifested and there can be no awareness of it?
Therefore, substance does not “stand on its own.” Substance depends upon being sensed, else there is no substance to speak of.
The fundamental entity that can stand on its own is the universe. We are aware of the universe only because we can sense it, and for no other reason. Substance must be that which is substantial enough to be sensed. The fundamental aspects of the universe that can be sensed are matter, energy and thought. These constitute the substance of the universe.
Matter, energy and thought have certain characteristics in common, which characterize them as substance; and they have other characteristics which make them different. Matter to energy to thought there is a gradient of substance. This is the gradient between the non-material (mental phenomena), and the material (physical phenomena). This book covers it in detail in Chapters 3 and 4.
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Reality
The concept of substance is a cornerstone of metaphysics and ontology (the philosophical study of being), and it helps philosophers classify what is “real” versus what is merely an offshoot or by-product.
One meaning of reality is “what is ultimately there beyond appearances.” Another meaning of reality is, “the totality of what is there.”
The ultimate reality would be a postulate. There is no knowledge prior to a postulate. This book explains in Chapter 1, that a postulate is a basic assumption, taken as true, which is then used to derive the rest of considerations.”
The totality of what there is would be the sum total of the considerations proceeding from the postulate. Because of this fact, these considerations must be united in their oneness to be real. In other words, the postulate and considerations must be harmonious, consistent and continuous.
The reality is not there to the degree there are violations of oneness (anomalies). For substance to be real, there must not be any anomalies in its conception.
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Mind-Body Dualism
The mind, or mental phenomena, is made of thought substance. The body, or physical phenomena is made of energy and matter. Both mind and body can be sensed.
It is not true that mental phenomena and physical phenomena are fundamentally different and irreducible to one another. Both are reducible to substance that can be sensed. That is the reason that they influence each other.
The consciousness of mind, and the agility of the body, is the result of extreme complexity of motion inherent to substance, as this book explains in Chapters 6 to 8.
It is an anomaly to think that mind and body have nothing in common. That is the result of ignorance.
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Postulate Mechanics
Mind and Body are distinct phenomena but the strict theory of dualism does not apply.
Mind can never exist independently of the body.
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