Physicalism is a kind of monism, the view that there’s a single substance or existence. Instead of the mind-body dualism as I’ve discussed previously, physicalism is the view that there is only the physical elements to consider when talking about the mind-body problem. For example, events in the brain are able to be explained as having real-world, non-spiritual or mental elements. 

While this sounds like a more scientific approach to the mind —such as studying the chemical and electronic responses of the brain — philosophers aren’t necessarily doing neuroscience or becoming psychiatrists who are analysing the brain as a subject. The philosophical approach to monisms like physicalism involves making arguments, and defending why dualism isn’t the correct way to explain mental processes.

There’s a number of different elements within physicalism, and I’ll be unpacking these in further shows.