Has the Mind-Body Problem Advanced Over the Years?

Abstract

The age-old Mind-Body problem is of great interest even today botti to science and philosophy. Progress in neuroscience has been rerrtarkable. We have a detailed knowledge on how the brain works. But whether philosophy of mind too has advanced correspondingly is a moot question. Also important is the question whether we are asking the right questions on the Mind-Body problem. After surveying the field briefly we conclude that in spite of the ongoing research in the philosophy of mind, with the introduction of many interesting models and theories, the basic question of consciousness and subjectivity have not been solved. This agrees with our view that the primary role of philosophy is not to give definitive answers but to clarify the questions and examine if they are answerable in the conceptual framework used. We also comment on Wittgenstein's views on the nature of philosophy.