Anthropological dualism is a philosophical concept that starts from the premise that the human being is made up of body and soul.
That is, this theory emphasizes that the human being cannot be reduced to his corporality since beyond the material connotations of the bodily presence of the human being there is an afterlife, an immaterial entity that is not perceived in itself but is it is perceived through actions that vivify the body.
The position of Plato and Descartes
Plato considered that the soul is the principle that vivifies the body. Other thinkers also reached the same conclusion: Descartes is a clear example of this. From this point of view, body and soul have two different realities but they interact in a constant way. In fact, a mental illness can have its reflection in the corporal plane.
Somatize emotions
This is the case, for example, with the somatization of stress that can cause digestive problems, sleep disturbances, back pain, stomach pain ...
In the same way, the bodily sphere also influences the emotional level as shown by the fact that a person suffering from a serious illness has to make a greater effort to be optimistic and remain happy than someone who is healthy.
Physical pain can also cause emotional sadness. These are the conclusions offered by psychology that also reflects on the interaction between body and mind.
Plato, on the other hand, had a more pessimistic view of the body as shown by one of his famous statements: "The body is the prison of the soul."
The mystery of life
Anthropological dualism also connects with the essence of the mystery of life, with the observation of that dignity that differentiates the human being from other beings since the person, thanks to his intelligence and will, shows a remarkable autonomy and wisdom.
On the other hand, beyond the corporality of the person there are immaterial faculties such as intelligence and will. In addition, feelings are also immaterial, they are not seen but they are felt. There is no scientific demonstration of the existence of the soul, however, its reality is intuited at a philosophical level as shown by the argument of those thinkers who have reflected on anthropological dualism.
