ABSTRACT
Although dualists, identity theorists, and functionalists disagree about a lot, they all grant that the mind and the physical world causally interact. Your beliefs and desires cause your body to move in various ways. In addition, mental states themselves have causal antecedents in the physical world. What you now believe and the preferences you now have—indeed, your personality as a whole—can be traced back to experiences you have had. These experiences were themselves caused by items in your physical environment. In addition, modern science recognizes that some features of your mind may be influenced by the genetic endowment you received from your parents.
