Descartes Goals Mediation Six

700 Words2 Pages

PHIL 115-25
TR 9:55-11:35
Test 2 Essay Question #1

One of Descartes’ goals Mediation Six was to establish the mind and body as two distinct substances, mind-body dualism. This paper reconstructs part of Descartes’ argument, evaluates an objection, and concludes that one is truly distinct from one’s body.

1. Quotation:
A. “…from the fact that I know that I exist and that at the same time I judge that obviously nothing else belongs to my nature… except that I am a thinking thing, I… conclude that my essence consists entirely in my being a thinking thing.” (pg. 51)
B. “…I have a distinct idea of a body… merely an extended thing and not a thinking thing.
C. It is certain I am really distinct from my body and can exist without it.” (pg. 51) …show more content…

Evaluation
I believe this argument is sound.

Premise 1. (a) “If I am a thinking thing and I have a distinct idea of a body, then I am distinct from my body and can exist without it.” (b) I believe this premise is true. (c) Everything we clearly and distinctly understand can be made by God how we understand it. Thus, clearly and distinctly understanding things separately is sufficient for them to be independent.

Premise 2. (a) “I am a thinking thing.” (b) I believe this premise is true. (c) In Mediation Two, Descartes viewed God as an evil deceiver, so everything we know can be false. Even our own bodies can be illusions. Descartes says, “…thought exists; it alone cannot be separated from me. I am; I exist – this is certain.” (pg. 19) This is true because if we are deceived, we must exist. We know our thoughts exist even if our bodies do …show more content…

(a) “I have a distinct idea of a body.” (b) I believe this premise is true. (c) In Meditation Three, Descartes argued for a non-deceiving God. God exists because “although the idea of substance is in me… [because] I am a substance… [It] is not sufficient to explain my having the idea of an infinite substance, since I am finite.” (pg. 31) This argument was also used for God’s perfection. Descartes reasoned the idea of a perfect God could not have originated within him because he is imperfect. He said, “…It is quite obvious that he cannot be a deceiver, for… all fraud and deception depend on some defect.” (pg. 35) I can imagine all the parts of a body: eyes, bones, blood, etc. In order to imagine something, one must draw from things that exist. The most likely explanation for imagination is a mind connected to a body containing sensory

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