The simplicity argument in twentieth century analytic philosophy: A study of Roderick M. Chisholm and Richard Swinburne

Dr. Ben Mijuskovic has chronicled the history of an argument that is premised upon the immaterial nature of the human mind and is utilized historically within philosophical discourses in defense of rationalism and idealism. Mijuskovic has thoroughly documented the history of this argument, which he has named the "simplicity argument," from its genesis in Plato's Phaedo 78b through its use by Jean-Paul Sartre in the twentieth century. The following thesis is logically founded upon Mijuskovic's body of work. Despite the overwhelming bias toward physicalism and materialism among twentieth century philosophers, Roderick M. Chisholm and Richard Swinburne challenge the status quo through their respective philosophies of mind. This thesis purports to extend the rich history of the simplicity argument through an examination of two twentieth century analytical philosophers and of the interaction of the simplicity argument with their respective bodies of work.