Materialism is one of the forms of monism. It is the view that everything that exists is matter; everything is stuff. The brain chemistry argument that fights for materialism states that our increasingly higher knowledge of the brain and what it does helps us treat mental illnesses, which was thought to only be cured psychologically. This theory believes that if our mood and other functions can be affected by the amount of sleep we get, what we eat, or the amount of hormones that are being produced, then the mind is just a bunch of electrochemical systems...so the materialist concludes. Ramachandran gave several examples that supported materialism. He talked about phantom limb pain and how it was cured by using a mirror. This shows how his brain formed the image that the arm was moving normally and sent messages through the body that the arm was functioning normally and so there should be no pain. Another example was when he talked about people who saw people they knew and recognized them but wouldn't believe that they were really the person they knew. The emotion that a person feels when they see someone is sent by the brain. Since that cord was damaged in this case, the people felt no emotion for the person before there eyes. This supports materialism in how the way we feel for someone is just transmitted through the brain. There was also the case of synesthesia. People with this case have several of their sensory experiences shown at once. Their senses are all wired together. This causes them to see a number that has color when it really doesn't. This supports materialism in how the way we view the world is simply because of our brain. It is not because of our mind but simply how our brains are wired.
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