Which belief states the mind and body are separate entities, with the mind nonphysical and the body physical?

• A. Monism
• B. Materialism
• C. Dualism
• D. Idealism

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is the mind–body relationship known as dualism. Dualism holds that there are two distinct kinds of substance or realm: the mind, which is nonphysical and conscious, and the body, which is physical and material. This directly matches the description that the mind and body are separate entities, with the mind being nonphysical and the body physical. It’s the view that allows mental states—thoughts, feelings, experiences—to exist independent of the physical world, at least in principle.

This differs from materialism, which holds that only physical stuff exists and mental states are just brain processes; from idealism, which suggests reality is fundamentally mental; and from monism, which asserts there is only one kind of substance (which could be physical, mental, or neutral). Dualism specifically captures the intuition of a nonphysical mind distinct from the physical body, even though historically it has faced questions about how they interact.