The Prevalence of Mind–Body Dualism in Early China

Cognitive Science 35 (5):997-1007 (2011)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

We present the first large-scale, quantitative examination of mind and body concepts in a set of historical sources by measuring the predictions of folk mind–body dualism against the surviving textual corpus of pre-Qin (pre-221 BCE) China. Our textual analysis found clear patterns in the historically evolving reference of the word xin (heart/heart–mind): It alone of the organs was regularly contrasted with the physical body, and during the Warring States period it became less associated with emotions and increasingly portrayed as the unique locus of “higher” cognitive abilities. We interpret this as a semantic shift toward a shared cognitive bias in response to a vast and rapid expansion of literacy. Our study helps test the proposed universality of folk dualism, adds a new quantitative approach to the methods used in the humanities, and opens up a new and valuable data source for cognitive scientists: the record of dead minds

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Did the Chinese Have a Change of Heart?Esther Klein & Colin Klein - 2012 - Cognitive Science 36 (2):179-182.
'Need a Christian Be a Mind/Body Dualist' ?Lynne Rudder Baker - 1995 - Faith and Philosophy 12 (4):489-504.
Mind-body continuism: Dualities without dualism.Edward W. James - 1991 - Journal of Speculative Philosophy 233 (4):233-255.
Residual asymmetric dualism: A theory of mind-body relations.Arthur Efron - 1992 - Journal of Mind and Behavior 13 (2):113-36.
Mind-body dualism and the compatibility of medical methods.Hans Burkhardt & Guido Imaguire - 2002 - Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 23 (2):135-150.
Dualism and its importance for medicine.Irene Switankowsky - 2000 - Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 21 (6):567-580.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-06-10

Downloads
93 (#168,691)

6 months
4 (#315,908)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?