Dualism

Examine the strengths and weaknesses of Dualism

And what is that which is termed death, but this very separation and release of the soul from the body- Socrates (reff.1)

Dualism is the belief that the body and the mind are separable, and at death, the non-physical mind, or soul, leaves the physical body on earth to decay, whilst it passes on to an afterlife of a different realm to the one we are experiencing. This has religious implications, that the life we are living is part of a much bigger picture.

In Phaedo, a play by Plato, Socrates, who was being put to death, explained why he was not fearful in his last few days. His reasons stemmed from his belief in dualism. Socrates said that all philosophers should welcome death, as it is merely the separation of mind and body. This is beneficial to the philosopher because the body is a hindrance to our thought process due to "petty physical demands" such as an itch, dull pain or hunger. As the philosopher is the searcher of truth