b. Questions related to beliefs have always been the most difficult for me because I do not want to believe. I want to know something for sure. Choosing between the two concepts to explain the nature of the human mind (body-mind dualism and monism), I would like to choose the second variant as it seems more reasonable to me.
In fact, body-mind dualism and monism contradict each other in many cases, and the reason for this conflict lies in the nature of the concepts; stating that body and mind can be regarded as two separate categories, mind-body dualism presents a more idealistic approach that, to some extent, provides a basis for belief in supernatural powers.
As distinct from this concept, monism utilizes a more materialistic approach, stating that the human mind exists only due to the activity of our bodies. Personally, I am sure that this point of view is a lot more consistent than the previous one because there is no evidence that the human mind can exist separately from the body. More than that, I suppose that this hypothesis cannot be verified at all.
I have always been interested in the topic of mind, and I have read a few books devoted to the out-of-body experience written by Monroe and other researchers. Even though their ideas may sound convincing for some people, there is no evidence that people are capable of leaving their physical bodies to get some information from the real world. What is more, the so-called near-death experience does not prove that body and mind are separate as well because the brain of severely injured people still works.