Analysis Of Descartes On The Theory Of Mind And Body

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Descartes studied the notions of truth, belief, and justification. His pursuit was to find the truth with certain knowledge that he acquired. Descartes’s believes that our mind and body are separate; therefore he could not trust his own senses. In order to reconstruct his knowledge to the point were there was no doubt he must only trust clear and distinct ideas. He argues that the mind is immaterial and the body is material, which he states as dualism and are independent substances. He states that the only thing to be trusted is the mind since it is what defines that “I” exist. Because we can’t trust or senses then is the body part of a dream or an illusion? We are humans and what completes us is our mind and body together as one. Our senses …show more content…

He believed that what Descartes conclusion of mind and body being separate was a category mistake. Ryle said, “the category mistake was applying properties to a non-material thing that are logically and grammatically appropriate only for a category including material things” (Gilbert Ryle). The mind is invisible and has no size or weight and mechanical laws in the physical world govern the body. Therefore, the mind can cause the body to act but the body can also cause an effect on the mind. The mind and body both can create an effect to the physical world. Not only are they connected together but also after death both will continue to function and …show more content…

“Relations of ideas are indestructible bonds created between ideas and all logically true statements and matters of fact are concerned with experience and we are certain of matters of fact through cause and effect“(Hume Section IV). This proves that the both the mind and body are one because of the cause and effect. He believes that there are connections between all ideas in the mind, and that there are three different kinds. The first is resemblance that describes looking at a picture then thinking of what it represents in the picture. Then there is contiguity looking at something then thinking of about something different. Then there is the cause and effect of something happening to you and then to imagine the pain of the wound. Once again beginning able to look at something and then create an idea from it only proves that without senses we couldn’t just come up with an idea out of the blue.
Descartes does make a good point on not trusting our senses. Why, because how do we really know if it’s real or not, or if we are dreaming or if it’s an illusion, and/or if’s an evil demon that is trying to treat us. That’s why Descartes divides the mind and body because the only thing that we can trust is our mind. If we think something then it’s our own thoughts that create that idea, therefore it is our own act that isn’t being deceived by anyone or any evil demon. The mind is the only

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