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The relationship between body and mind
Dualism rene descartes
The relationship between body and mind
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Topic: How does Descartes argue that mind and body are distinct? Is he right?
“Mind versus Body”
In his sixth meditation in the Meditations of First Philosophy, Descartes argues that mind and body are distinct and that the mind is distinct from the body in a way that it can exist without the body. I will discuss how Descartes argues that the mind and body are distinct, and I will argue as to why he might not be right because this better explains our intuition that sensations and feelings on the body have a direct effect on the sensations and feelings on the mind.
Descartes argues that the mind and body are distinct because he has a clear and distinct understanding of the two ideas (Descartes 64). Descartes says that his ability
to clearly and distinctly understand one thing without the other makes it certain that the two things must exist independently, as “they can be separated from each other, at least by God” (Descartes 64). Extending this belief, Descartes says that he has a clear and distinct idea of the mind as a thinking, non-existing thing, and he has a clear and distinct idea of the body as an extended, non-thinking thing.
Descartes’ argument for why corporeal things exist follows logically. Descartes begins his argument stating there is a difference between sensory perception and understanding. He explains, “There is in me a passive faculty of sensory perception…but I could not make use of it unless there was also an active faculty, either in me or in something else, which produced or brought about these ideas. But this faculty cannot be in me since the ideas in question are produced without my cooperation and often even against my will (AT VII: 79; p. 55)”. Descartes establishes that when he senses something, he understands it and does not imagine it. Here he also concludes that it is not our discretion whether we sense something or not; we cannot chose to
It is in Meditation II that Descartes relates his certainty regarding his existence. He claims that he exists because he is able to think; “I think, therefore I am.” Even though he believes that all of his senses are subject to analysis, he knows for certain that he is thinking. This leads into the concept of separation between mind and body. Meditation II is Descartes assertion that both mind and body are separate from one another. Further on in Meditation VI, Descartes evaluates the existence of material objects, away from the existence of self and the existence of God. He acknowledges that he believes that material objects can exist since they are “objects of pure mathematics.” He acknowledges that God is capable of creating everything for which he is capable of perceiving. Additionally, Descartes acknowledges that the imagination produces evidence to support the perceived existence of external
First, Descartes talks about the mind and the body being very different creatures. The mind is good and the body has earthly desires. Descartes
Outline and assess Descartes' arguments for the conclusion that mind and body are distinct substances.
existed in life, the physical and the nonphysical. He broke his theory of Dualism into two
In defining mind and matter, Descartes is simultaneously equating the mind with the soul whilst proving it to be distinct from the body and matter. Many philosophers of mind have attempted to address the mind-body problem, proving the relationship between the above two elements. Famously addressed by Descartes, he explored the relationship between consciousness and the brain as he provided several arguments in defence to his stance to the explanation of the union between the mind (or soul) and the body. One of which is the argument from indivisibility:
One of the ways in which Descartes attempts to prove that the mind is distinct from the body is through his claim that the mind occupies no physical space and is an entity with which people think, while the body is a physical entity and cannot serve as a mechanism for thought. [1]
In the Sixth Meditation, Descartes makes a point that there is a distinction between mind and body. It is in Meditation Two when Descartes believes he has shown the mind to be better known than the body. In Meditation Six, however, he goes on to claim that, as he knows his mind and knows clearly and distinctly that its essence consists purely of thought. Also, that bodies' essences consist purely of extension, and that he can conceive of his mind and body as existing separately. By the power of God, anything that can be clearly and distinctly conceived of as existing separately from something else can be created as existing separately. However, Descartes claims that the mind and body have been created separated without good reason. This point is not shown clearly, and further, although I can conceive of my own mind existing independently of my body, it does not necessarily exist as so.
Every since Plato introduced the idea of dualism thousands of years ago meta-physicians have been faced with the mind-body problem. Even so Plato idea of dualism did not become a major issue of debate in the philosophical world until the seventeenth century when French philosopher Rene Descartes publicized his ideas concerning the mental and physical world. During this paper, I will analyze the issue of individuation and identity in Descartes’ philosophical view of the mind-body dualism. I will first start by explaining the structure of Cartesian dualism. I will also analyze the challenges of individuation and identity as they interact with Descartes. With a bit of luck, subsequently breaking down Descartes’ reasoning and later on offering my response, I can present wit a high degree of confidence that the problems of individuation and identity offer a hindrance to the Cartesians’ principle of mind-body dualism. I give a critical analysis of these two problems, I will first explain the basis of Descartes’ philosophical views.
...nclude, Ryle is correct in his challenge of Descartes’ Cartesian dualism, the mind and body are not two separate parts as dictated by dualist, rather the working of the mind are not distinct from the body. As a result, an observer can understand the mind of another through the actions of the body. It is the combination that makes up a human, human, as they are one and the same.
Descartes is a very well-known philosopher and has influenced much of modern philosophy. He is also commonly held as the father of the mind-body problem, thus any paper covering the major answers of the problem would not be complete without covering his argument. It is in Descartes’ most famous work, Meditations, that he gives his view for dualism. Descartes holds that mind and body are com...
Descartes proposed that the mind which represents thinking, and the body which represents mechanism are totally distinct-a thesis is called mind-body dualism. He believes the nature of thinking substance which cannot not be extended is completely different from the body which can be extended, and therefore it is possible for one to exist without the other. Some examples can prove that the mind could exist without body such as persistent vegetative state, zombie and some nature physiological response. However, mind-body distinction is a controversial problem today as people may say: normally, the movement of our bodies are controlled by our minds such as writing exams and so on. Therefore, the mind and the body do have interaction in
In Meditation Six entitled “Concerning the Existence of Material Things, and Real Distinction between the Mind and Body”, one important thing Descartes explores is the relationship between the mind and body. Descartes believes the mind and body are separated and they are two difference substances. He believes this to be clearly and distinctly true which is a Cartesian quality for true knowledge. I, on the other hand, disagree that the mind and body are separate and that the mind can exist without the body. First, I will present Descartes position on mind/body dualism and his proof for such ideas. Secondly, I will discuss why I think his argument is weak and offer my own ideas that dispute his reasoning while I keep in mind how he might dispute my argument.
While the great philosophical distinction between mind and body in western thought can be traced to the Greeks, it is to the influential work of René Descartes, French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist, that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship. As the 19th century progressed, the problem of the relationship of mind to brain became ever more pressing.