Neutral monism

03 Oct 1994 12:02

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The idea that neither mind nor matter is "ontologically basic," but that both are composed, or constructed, or however-you-will, out of some more basic components, usually called "experiences" or (less leadingly) "events".

History. It seems to date back to William James.

Exposition. Russell wrote a witty ten-minute primer called "What Is the Soul?" which I've put on-line.

Current status.

See also: Philosophy of Mind

To read:
• Erik C. Banks, The Realistic Empiricism of Mach, James, and Russell: Neutral Monism Reconceived [Positive but critical notice in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews ("read it, and see if you can figure these things out better than I have")]