Neutral monism is a philosophical theory of reality's essential nature. It posits that the world's fundamental components are neither physical nor mental in nature. Instead, neutral monism says that these components are composed of a "neutral" material that cannot be characterized as being entirely physical or mental (Stubenberg & Wishon, 2023).
There are multiple aspects of neutral monism. In addition to the main aspect of a neutral substance being present, there is also the aspect of the mind and matter being dependent on neutral substances (Stubenberg & Wishon, 2023). It also helps to resolve the mind-body problem by arguing that the mind and body are both composed of neutral substance, suggesting that consciousness is based on a neutral medium (Stubenberg & Wishon, 2023).
Multiple philosophers have helped to promote the idea of neutral monism. Some of these philosophers include William James, Bertrand Russell, and Ernst Mach (Stubenberg & Wishon, 2023). Overall, neutral monism has grown significantly in popularity as an idea. The applications of neutral monism may have great potential in answering many mysteries surrounding consciousness.
References:
Stubenberg, L., & Wishon, D. (2023). Neutral Monism. In E. N. Zalta & U. Nodelman (Eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2023). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/neutral-monism/
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