Marx, however, took the reverse view of this approach to the topic of human reality. He held that human knowledge automatically begins from our experiences with the outside world -- from our sensations and perceptions -- consequently, interaction between man, the situation, and the material object is what conglomerates to form reality. Therefore, by contrast to Hegel, objective truth is not utterly attainable -- as with Hegel's synthesis of perspectives -- because these perspectives are so fundamentally unique to each individual. This premise leads Marx to the conclusion that previous philosophers were merely successful in describing the world, but the task implied by his materialistic views is that the setting in which human reality plays itself out needs to be changed if the goal is to improve life. The relationship between the body and the soul, necessarily, is dependent upon the mind vs. body debate and the free will vs. determinism debate. If the mind and body are separate, then the soul must be the highest level of attainment possible by the mind. However, this also depends upon the premise that the actions of man are carried...

So, for the soul and the body to be separate and yet related, there must be a distinction between the mind and the body, and human beings must be able to make decisions independent of their environmental circumstances.
Works Cited

Cahn, Steven M. Classics of Western Philosophy: Fifth Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1999.

Churchland, Paul M. Matter and Consciousness. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1984.

Feinberg, Joel and Russ Schafer-Landau. Reason and Responsibility. New York: Wadsworth Publishing, 1999.

Holbach, Baron Paul. System of Nature. Translated by H.D. Robinson, 1770.

Jackson, Frank. "Epiphenomenal Qualia." Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 32, 1982.

Skinner, B.F. Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Bantam, 1971.

Stace, Walter T. Religion and the Modern Mind. New York: L.P. Lippincott Company, 1952.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Phenomenology." November 16, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2005 from plato.stanford.edu/entries/phenomenology/#1.