Two Aspect Theory of Consciousness

This theory arose from the existence of the mind-body dichotomy of the Cartesian dichotomy, which was formulated by Rene Descartes in the seventeenth century. In response to this, Baruch Spinoza suggested that there are in fact no two different substances, but two views of a single substance: we perceive physical matter through the senses, while mental states are experienced by our mind. ^[1] However, the nature of a single substance, however, remains unexplained.

Neutral monism and two-sided theory share the central idea that there is some single substance that is not in itself mental or physical. Despite the fact that neutral monism also distinguishes between mental and physical aspects, from the point of view of neutral monism, there are neutral elements that can be grouped in different ways at the same time as the physical components of the brain: neurons and lobes, at other times mental: feelings and thoughts. ^[2]

The disadvantage of both the two-aspect theory and the Cartesian one is the inability to present arguments in favor of the existence of a single fundamental substance. If the only attributes of a given substance are matter and mental states, then what is the substance itself? A two-pronged theory suggests that matter and mind are related to each other, but is this really so? Some processes taking place in the body occur unconsciously, without control by the mind. Is it possible to say that for each physical process there is its mental correspondence?