The Socratic Circle: An Unorthodox Reflection on Death, Church, and the Mind-Body Problem

This thesis explores the philosophical issues of Philosophy of Mind through the lens of a fictional memoir. The memoir revolves around a young intellectual named Skylar and tracks the evolution of his thoughts as he reckons with the impending death of his best friend. Though Skylar and the other characters articulate many of the standard contemporary stances on the so-called Mind-Body Problem, no final answer to the problem is given. Instead, the work ends with the introduction of the concept of the Socratic Circle: the idea that the philosophical journey is something which is undertaken in a hopeful search for truth, but which must be anchored by a stern recognition of one’s own foolishness.