Mind-body debate is central to the philosophy of consciousness. Two of the most significant philosophers to specialize in the analysis of the mind-body relationship are Nicolas Malebranche, a French Cartesian dualist, and Gottfried Liebniz, a German philosopher of mind who consciously breaks from a dualistic metaphysic. These two philosophers present two divergent, yet strangely harmonious views of the mind-body interaction and the philosophical problems it creates. Insofar as the mind-body relationship is frequently framed as a "problem," there must be corresponding solutions to solving it. However, Liebniz does not view the mind-body relationship as a problem at all but rather, embraces a view that there is mind-body harmony. Mind and body are, to Liebniz, one and the same. This solution to the problem is compelling, but it can be problematic because it makes the establishment or understanding of causality difficult. Malebranche, on the other hand, embraces a dualistic perspective precisely because it allows for a discussion on causality. There are two express "solutions" to the mind-body "problem" in the Cartesian framework. One of those is that either the mind causes the body, or that the body causes the mind. The other is that God is the cause of both mind and body, but that mind and body are distinct. The aim of this paper is to argue in favor of Liebniz's doctrine of pre-established harmony as the most valid solution to the mind-body problem. The goal of highlighting the efficacy of Liebniz's doctrine of pre-established harmony will be accomplished first by a thorough explication of Malebranche's brand of Cartesian duality. After a presentation of Malebranche's core framework of the mind-body problem, two attendant theses will be presented and evaluated on their merits. These two theses extend from the Malebranche philosophy of occasionalism, both suggesting that the mind and body are different. One of these theses is that God causes both mind and body but that mind and body are separate; and the other thesis is that mind and body are separate but one causes the other. After the analysis of dualistic solutions...
This monistic philosophy follows Liebniz's philosophy of harmony, and will be revealed to be satisfactory for understanding both causality and the nature of human consciousness itself.
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