Ramachandran

Materialism is a form of Monism that most simply says humans are matter and only matter, and that they do not occupy a spirit, mind or soul. An argument that supports this argument is the brain chemisty argument. The belief of the brain chemisty runs paralell with the Materialism belief and states that everything we feel is based on a chemical reaction originating in the brain. They believe the feelings we feel are primarily based on how we live our daily lives.

Ramachandran's first example was based on Capgras Syndrome. When people have this syndrome they become unable to remember people by their appearance of faces, only being able to recognize them by their voice. This example strongly supports the Brain Chemistry argument, because the brain is experiencing technical problems that are based on a chemical reaction taking place inside their head.

Phantom Limb pain was his next example. This applies to the people who have a limb amputated. After amputation the subjects feel like the missing body part is still there but they can't feel it move, and it is known to be a very painful encounter for the victims. But amazingly the sensation is fixed with trickery of the brain by looking in a mirror and fooling yourself. This is also related to the Brain Chemistry argument because it shows how our emotions are corelated with what our brain thinks, which in this case is pain.

The last example he gave was about synesthesia, which is known to be a disorder where people see specific colors associated with a specific number. The cause of this is known to be a so called wiring mistake in the brain where some wires are connected in unusual places. This is also strongly related the the Brain Chemistry argument because it shows that our brain recognizes things chemically.

All three of Ramachandran's edamples corelated with the Brain Chemistry Argument for materialism, so we can conclude that he strongly believes that humans are nothing more than physical machines reacting chemically, without a spirit, soul or mind.