The mind-body problem reconsidered

In this paper I shall offer a reconsideration of three main arguments in the current debate on the mind-body problem, on the light of a peculiar way of conceiving mental concepts: I shall defend the view that mental concepts have to be considered as natural kind concepts. In the first part, I shall develop this proposal and in the second part I shall examine Kripke's arguments against the identity theory, the zombi's argument against functionalism and Churchland's argument for eliminativism. I conclude the paper with an sketchy answer to the mind-body problem, in the middle of the road between functionalism and the identity theory.