&gt; <i>for example, if you reject mind-body dualism, without which the assumed concepts of &quot;internal&quot; and &quot;external&quot; are somewhat absurd</i><p>How are they absurd? You don&#x27;t have to believe that &quot;your mind&quot; is a separate ontological thing, in order to have a concept of internal and external control. Even if you think your physical brain is your mind (which I would agree is a very reasonable thing to think), you can still have opinions about how much you can influence your environment, and you can form beliefs which affect how your brain responds to stimulus.