Dualism Persists in the Science of Mind
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences March 1, 2009 Athena Demertzi, Charlene Liew, Didier Ledoux et al. 125 citations
Attitudes about whether mind and brain are separate or the same thing vary by age, gender, and religious belief. Two surveys—one of university students in Edinburgh (250 people) and another of health-care workers and the public in Liège (1,858 people)—found that dualistic views (seeing mind and brain as distinct) were common. In the Liège survey, younger participants, women, and those with religious beliefs were more likely to endorse separation of mind and brain, survival of a spiritual part after death, and the existence of a soul distinct from the body. Religious belief was the strongest predictor of dualism. Over a third of medical and paramedical professionals also regarded mind and brain as separate, even though most health-care workers rejected that distinction.