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Gertler's Argument Defends Naturalistic Dualism

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Gertler’s argument defends naturalistic dualism. Naturalistic dualism is the idea that the mental state is existentially separate from the physical state. Dualism’s opposing ideology is physicalism. Physicalism is the idea that the mental and physical state are one in the same. Through this she rejects the identity theory which claims that mental states are ultimately identical to states of the brain and/or central nervous system. So, if the identity thesis is true then every type of mental state is identical to some type of physical state. And so if the identity theory is in fact true: A equals B and then it is impossible to be an A without also being a B. Gertler disagrees with the identity theory and she comes to the conclusion in her argument …show more content…

Her second premises states “If I can conceive of a particular scenario occurring, then that scenario is possible” (306) and in her paper, she breaks it down. She asks the question: is something actually possible just because I can conceive it? In the beginning of her article she discusses a “thought experiment” which she laid out a few examples of possible scenarios, one being “you have never encountered a married bachelor.” She takes this scenario apart and says to try to imagine an unmarried bachelor, and “you find you cannot because you cannot conceive of a married bachelor because your concept bachelor includes the concept unmarried, and nothing that satisfies that concept can simultaneously satisfy the concept married” (305). The idea to conceive an unmarried bachelor is not possible because a bachelor is unmarried. No one can be both in one. The concept of bachelorhood is sufficiently unclear to grasp every concept that is included in this so it can be concluded that married bachelors are impossible because you cannot conceive of them. It is concluded then that conceivability tests can reveal what is possible or impossible so as long as the concepts are sufficiently comprehensive you can find if the concept is or isn’t possible. Gertler comes to the new premises of “If using concepts that are sufficiently comprehensive, I can conceive of a particular

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