Interactionism (philosophy of mind)

This article is about the philosophy of mind. For sociology, see interactionism.

Interactionism is the theory in the philosophy of mind which holds that, matter and mind being distinct and independent, they exert causal effects on one another. As such, it is a type of dualism. It can be distinguished from competing dualist theories of epiphenomenalism (which admits causation, but views it as unidirectional rather than bidirectional), pre-established harmony, and occasionalism (which both deny causation, while seeking to explain the appearance of causation by other means).

References

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article

External links

• Interactionism Encyclopædia Britannica.
• Interactionism Philosophy Index.
• Varieties of Dualism: Interaction Stanford University.