The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism

By Brandon Rickabaugh (Author), this book presents a singularly powerful and rigorous argument in favor of modern substance dualism. It explores areas of philosophy, cognitive science, neuroscience, and the sociology of mind-body beliefs.

As a multidisciplinary work, it delivers a unique defense of contemporary substance dualism, claiming that the human person is an embodied fundamental, immaterial, and unifying substance. The authors provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and rigorous non-edited work on substance dualism in the field, as well as a detailed history of how property and substance dualism have been presented and evaluated over the last 150 years.

Alongside developing new and updated positive arguments for substance dualism, the authors also discuss key metaphysical notions and distinctions that inform the examination of substance dualism and its alternatives. This book is perfect for professional philosophers, consciousness researchers, philosophical theologians, and religious studies scholars.

It thoroughly examines the recent shift away from standard physicalism and the renaissance of substance dualism, offering comprehensive explorations of the likely future of substance dualism in the twenty-first century, including an exhaustive list of proposed research projects for substance dualists. The authors also provide practical discussion of new and rigorous critiques of significant physicality alternatives, including emergentism and panpsychism.

With extensive treatments of philosophy of mind debates about the roles played by staunch/faint-hearted naturalism and theism in establishing or presuming methodology, epistemic priorities, and prior metaphysical commitments, this book is a must-read for those interested in the philosophy of mind and consciousness studies.

Published by Wiley on September 7, 2023, this book is available in English and offers a compelling exploration of substance dualism and its implications for our understanding of consciousness and the human experience.