The Brain Chemistry Argument

First of all, to clarify this youtube clip, you have to understand what Materialism is. Materialism is a part of Monism, which states that everything is made up of matter, or material. A thought of something like a mind or a soul, is out of the question, as everything is physical matter, nothing else exists. Then the question is, what is The Brain Chemistry Argument? The Brain Chemistry Argument is the argument which materialism touches on about the path our brain takes. The argument questions, "is the brain becoming more physiological rather than psychological?" The argument uses the proof that our mood can be set by drugs (like anti-depressants), the amount of sleep we get, and amount of food. They take this as proof that we are in fact, material. We are all just a mear part of an electrochemical system.

The 3 Disorders Ramachandran touched on were the following:

1) Capgras Syndrome, is a disorder which is not very common, and usually occurs to people who have had head trauma. When they wake up out of their coma they seem perfectly fine. They communicate and take in orders. It isn't till they see someone like their mother that everything goes wrong. They see that it is their mother's features, and it sounds like their mother, but in their head they can't connect it all. They see this woman as an impostor. This is just an example. This syndrome proves that materialism is true. It shows that the affections and feelings we get for another person, can be controlled by matter, for example the brain chemical reaction.

2) Phantom Limb Pain is a disorder that affects people who have had a certain body part amputated. They find that they have feeling in their "amputed part of the body", and this feeling is usually in pain. Materialists look at this and they find proof. They say that this connection between this nonexistant limb pain as a connection to the nervous system and the brain, hence, once again proving materialism true.


3)Synesthesia is a disorder that connects different wires in the brain in a wrong way. For example, a person who might smell home baked bread might say that it smells loud, or if they hear a thunder in the distance, they might say that it sounds beautifully. This syndrome is shown to side with materialism as the wires can be connected in a wrong way, showing that our emotions have a connection with our brain. This also helps side with materialism.

These are some examples of disorders that materialists like to show that everything is made out of matter, it is all just about the chemical reactions that happen in our bodies and brains. An idea of a spirit or mind is just out in the blue.