Ghost in the Machine

The "Ghost in the Machine" is a metaphor in philosophy. The philosopher Gilbert Ryle called mind the Ghost in the Machine, and the idea that it was separate from the brain was the mistaken "official doctrine".^[1][2]

Overview

Ryle was referring to René Descartes' mind-body dualism.^[3] In dualist systems like Descartes', mental activity carries on in parallel to physical action, but the means of interaction are unknown or speculative.^[4] Ryle thought this was absurd, and as a kind of error which he called a "category mistake". It is like saying something like "cars move by motive spirit".