The mind/body debate is one that has thrived in the philosophical world because it boldly proposes a question about life that we humans have yet to find a way to answer. The question is this:

 

Are "you" your mind, or your body? How can you tell? If you believe you know, which part of you is in control?

 

First, I want you to pick which one you believe you are-whether you are your conscious mind or your interactive body. Pause here and think about which point of view makes the most sense to you.

 

We'll start by discussing what it means if you say "you" are your mind. If you are just your consciousness, this could mean a number of things. It could mean you think your entire life up to this point has been a meaningless mass of signals sent to your brain to simulate consciousness and living, so your body is not technically real.

 

More likely, however, you simply believe that your mind controls your body and its movements, so you must be your mind. Biology almost supports this idea, even, considering the way your brain lights up when you make certain movements and behave in certain ways.

 

This seems like a solid answer, right? Before I address that question more directly, let us discuss what it means to say that "you" are your body.

 

If you believe "you" are your body, you may believe that free will and conscious thought are not truly your decisions to make, and that your life is in the hands of some greater power. All you have is your body.

 

You may also believe that your consciousness cannot control the world around you, even your body, so your body must be working by itself and therefore "you" are your body. This makes sense when you consider how truly un-interactive your mind is in a physical sense.

 

Let's put our answers into perspective for a moment.

 

Assume your name is Sam. Does this name pertain to your body, or to your mind? Which version of "you" is named Sam?

 

Let's say your body is named Sam, and your mind is you. "You" cannot live without Sam. If Sam does not exist, neither do you. You inhabit Sam, and Sam encompasses you. One without the other would no longer be Sam.

 

However, we can say that your mind is entirely capable of living outside of Sam. To understand that, think about movies or books in which someone's conscious thought is moved to a new body, or even swapped with another person's consciousness.

 

This counters our statement from before. If your consciousness is able to leave Sam, then how could it be that you are Sam? Does this mean you are your mind? No! You cannot be your mind for the same reason-if your consciousness moves, it is no longer inhabiting Sam, and so you are not your mind or body...but you have to be one or the other, right?