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theory accommodates for this interaction.
Another basis for his rejection of materialism is that he feels that if we are composed of no more than our bodies and brains it follows that we are also determined. As all physical things are causally determined so too must our physical bodies. There is no room for freedom of thought, for spontaneity or even moral responsibility. We also lose that which distinguishes us from animals: our ability to be rational. According to Hick's definition rationality implies freedom; the ability to weigh up, assess and choose between two options. If all our actions and thoughts are determined then we have no choice and therefore are not accountable for any decisions we make or actions we take.

There is a compromise between materialism and dualism: Epiphenomenalism. This is the idea that all thoughts, emotions and perceptions are caused by the physical world but they are not in themselves physical. The mind does not affect the body but rather is affected by it; it is like a gauge on a machine that reflects the body's activity. This however fails to address John Hick's issue of the physicality of the mind reducing us to determined beings.
Materialism and a rejection of dualism appeals to the rational side of us; one can be of no faith and trusting only of that which can be empirically proved and still hold a materialist viewpoint. It does not require a belief in God, life after death or the fantastical belief that there is a part of us unconnected to our bodies. However, the question is which of the two makes best sense of our experiences; not which simply makes best sense. As humans we do not experience determinism; we at least go through the motions of decision making. We do not feel that the simple shifts in our brain chemistry are indistinguishable from the intricate, detailed images we produce and appear to see in our brains. And for the most part we do not feel that we are nothing more significant than a construction of cells conforming only to the laws of science and fulfilling our biological functions. Therefore if the question is, which best explains what we, as humans, experience, then inevitably the answer would have to be Dualism.

Learn more about this author, Libby Bellibone.
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