Publication Identifier 120203 TitleMan as Trinity of Body, Spirit, and Soul: a physicalist approach to the mind-body problem within the disciplinary matrix of the Elementary Process Theory Type of publicationpreprint Author(s)M.J.T.F. Cabbolet Contributor(s) Keywordsmind-body problem; physicalism; free will; mental causation Publisher Source Publication date2012-02-10 LanguageEnglish AbstractAlthough there are several monistic and dualistic approaches to the mind-body problem on the basis of classical or quantum mechanics, thus far no consensus exists about a solution. Recently, the Elementary Process Theory (EPT) has been developed: this corresponds with a fundamentally new disciplinary matrix for the study of physical reality. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the mind-body problem within this newly developed disciplinary matrix. The main finding is that the idea of a duality of body and mind has to be rejected as an incomplete representation of reality: in the universe of the EPT, man hás to be a trinity of body, spirit and soul; the mind is then a mere idea that arises from experience, but without ontological connotation. In addition, a mechanism for mental causation is rigorously formulated. The main conclusion is that a principle solution to the mind-body problem has been formulated, showing that man has a free will in the universe of the EPT. Further philosophical-theological research has to establish whether the presently discussed trinity and the trinities of body, spirit and soul mentioned in the Bible and the Vedic texts are one and the same thing. CopyrightOpen access