Reframing the Mind-Body Picture: Applying Formal Systems to the Relationship of Mind and Matter

This paper aims to show that a simple framework, utilizing basic formalisms from set theory and category theory, can clarify and inform our theories of the relation between mind and matter. I've found that theories of the mind-body relationship tend to cause three core difficulties in my understanding: 1. I'm usually left with a fuzzy picture of the relationship the author is trying to illustrate. When in some cases it does appear to clarify itself, I find myself later questioning whether the image I hold is actually the one intended. This paper aims to make some progress against these issues by introducing a framework for clearly expressing the ideas behind theories of the mind-matter relationship. It consists of three parts. In order to work with these theories on equal conceptual grounds, we require a common philosophical foundation that allows the different theories to be engaged with on the same terms. To address this need, the first part of the paper outlines a conservative philosophical approach that gives us these equal terms without presupposing theoretical categories and relationships that the theories themselves deal with. In the second part, we lay down formal descriptions of several specific theories (e.g. With each system resting on equal footing, we can compare relationships between theories and pick out conceptual issues within them.