ers from Descartes= theory in that instead of different substances, there are mental and physical properties. These properties or aspects depend on the brain. Nagel is drawn to the dual aspect theory Abecause of the apparent intimacy of the relation between the mental and its physical conditions, and because of a continued attachment to the metaphysics of substance and attribute...@ (Nagel 30). Nagel=s theory is that mental and physical are two properties of physical reality which is effectively neither mental nor physical. It differs with Descartes= dualism because it denies the existence of mental substance and physical substance. However, there are many problems with the dual aspect theory which Nagel freely admits and one of those problems is the possible mistake of Afitting subjective points of view smoothly into a spatiotemporal world of things and processes@ which is what the dual aspect theory is committed to do (Nagel 31). Because the brain, according to Nagel, has the two aspects of physical and mental, then both the physical and mental depend on the brain. It would make sense, then, that if the brain was divided in half, then both halves would still have mental and physical properties. If you continue dividing in this manner, eventually the brain will be divided into atoms. The atoms, by this example, would also have mental and physical properties. Since atoms are the foundation of everything, this theory would lead us to believe that all matter has mental and physical properties. This is the argument of panpsychism which creates a problem for Nagel=s dual aspect theory.The problem with panpsychism is that everything including rocks and tables would have mental properties. Nagel addresses this problem as an Aunsettling consequence@ of the dual aspect theory (Nagel 49). However, because Nagel=s argument runs into this problem, his argument loses validity. Nagel realizes that his argument is not one hundred percent solid and ...
