Rene Descartes: Cartesian Dualism Essay example

In his Meditations Rene Descartes aimed to reconstruct the whole of science by trying to prove the distinction between mind and matter. He gives an argument from doubt, and another from conceivability. I will give a brief summary of the foundations Descartes builds his thesis on, and then looking at his arguments and whether they are capable of persuading us that dualism is a logical stance to hold.

In this paper, I will examine the principal merits and challenges of René Descartes’ concept of dualism and then defend my preferred alternative among the options Paul M. Churchland discusses. After briefly defining Cartesian Dualism, I will show that its principal merits are that it is consistent with common sense and that it is able to explain phenomena that appear mental in nature. Next, I will show that its principal challenges are its failure to adequately explain how the mind and the body can causally interact, and its failure to respond to the observation that brain damage impairs the mind. Finally, I will explain why Functionalism is the best alternative to Cartesian Dualism.

There are two major themes in Descartes’ sixth Meditation, and this is indicated in the sub-title: “The existence of material things, and the real distinction between the mind and body.” The first theme occupied the greater part of the Mediation, and include not just knowledge of the existence of material objects, but questions about what we can do about them. The second theme argues for the immateriality of the mind, and with that, Descartes established his mind/body dualism. This essay, therefore, is a review that focuses on the two major themes with emphases on his main point. His view that the mind and the body are separate entities, but yet interconnected, the body a physical, extended material is dependent on the intellectual operations of the mind which is a nonphysical material with the ability to reason and think, and the consciousness to know that he is thinking. He concludes by arguing that the idea within him of God, not only confirm his existence as a thinking being, but also confirms that there must be a referent, outside of the mind (God) from whom the true essence of the human mind, which is the ability and the power of reason and of judgement came from.

Like many people today, Descartes believed that the mind and soul were separate. He believed that the mind’s purpose was only for “thinking” and “non-extended” things. While, the body is an extension; non-thinking. Descartes thought that the mind and body were different substances, thus they

In the “Second Meditation,” of “Meditations on the First Philosophy,” Descartes contends that, even if a “malicious deceiver” was purposefully attempting to trick him, one thing is “necessarily true”. “I am…only a thing that thinks…a thinking thing.” From this, Descartes asks, “What else am I?” His answer is that he is not just a body, or a “…thin vapour which permeates the limbs…” He is something, which is identical with his awareness of himself yet, what that is, he is not sure. Accordingly, Descartes can only make judgments about the things known to him, because judgment is thinking, and thus, he knows that he exists. This, for Descartes, is the first thing he can be certain of, that he does exist, as something that thinks.

For years, philosophers have debated the mind-body problem, the issue of what mental phenomena are and how they relate to the physical world. Philosopher Descartes believed in substance dualism, the belief that the mind and the body are two different things. In this essay, I will examine Descartes’ substance dualism theory. First, I will review Descartes’s theory and reasons that support it. Then, I will review objections with Descartes’s argument. After that, I will imagine how Descartes would respond to these objections. Finally, I will conclude with an overall assessment.

Reneì Descartes’ treatise on dualism, his Meditations on First Philosophy, is a seminal work in Western intellectual history, outlining his theory of the mind and its relation to the rest of the world. The main argument running through the Meditations leads from his universal methodic doubt through his famous cogito, to proofs of dualism, God, and the world. The Cartesian dualism is one of the most influential ideas to come out of the work; the style of the Meditations, however, is one of personal rumination, following what appears to be Descartes’ stream of consciousness , and it allows for mild tangential discussions. Hence alongside his more famous argument for dualism,

In addition he also calls the Separability principle which states as that for every x and every y so long as x is perceived clearly and distinctly without y, then God can make it so x can exist and y does not. As Descartes says to himself that since he believes that two substances can be distinct clearly without the other this now creates the idea that the mind can be distinct from the body and the body can be distinct from the mind. This is important because it does two things for Descartes, it allows him to use both principles to aid in his argument as well as remind himself that God is not a deceiver. The combination of both principles helps

In this assignment I look at Descartes Cartesian Dualism, I critically appraise the claims within this argument and use other philosophers such as Plato to back up his argument. I discuss the flaw in his argument and provide alternative argument to back up my claims. Descartes schooling taught him about ‘matter’ according to the teachings of Aristotle, he argued that ‘things are not constructed by matter’ and that ‘form is what matter acquires when an object comes into being’ (Descartes et al,1996, pp.VIII). Descartes sixth meditation is where he argued Cartesian Dualism, his claim was ‘there is a vast difference between mind and body...body is always divisible, and that mind is entirely indivisible’ (Descartes, 2013, pp.129). His argument

Descartes, a philosopher, mathematician and scientist, was a fundamental player in the scientific revolution, which influenced his perspectives on the question of self. His principle tenant, the famously quoted, “Cogito, ergo sum – I think, therefore I am,” reflects his core belief of thinking and of self-awareness as key to personal identity. Descartes was strongly influenced by Plato and Augustine. Descartes philosophical underpinnings can be understood as an extension of Plato and Augustine’s dualistic view in which, “…body and soul remain irreconcibily divided, two radically different entities with diverging fates: the body to die, the soul to live eternally in a transcendent realm of Truth and Beauty” (Descartes 99). While Descartes acknowledges the body, he argued that it was secondary because it can be thought of independently. Descartes felt he was, “…able clearly and distinctly to conceive one thing apart from another, in order to be certain that the one is different from the other, seeing they may at least be able to exist separately …” (Descartes 106). Descartes argued that mind is completely different from body and it is possible for one to exist without the other.

This section aims to explore the existence of the material world and to dissolve three major claims made by Descartes: that God exists as a perfect being, that distinct judgments are no doubt true, and that mind and body are separate.

Descartes’ argument for the mind and body being distinct is that they individually possess the power to exist without the need for the other. Even if they seem to coexist in some ways, Descartes argues that the mind and body are really distinct because they are able to be conceived by him, and God is able to create that clear and distinct conception. Thus, creating the means to be sufficient to be apart from one another. As stated by Descartes, Firstly, because I Know that all which I clearly and distinctly conceive can be produced by God exactly as I conceive it, it is sufficient that I am able to clearly and distinctly conceive one thing apart from another…” Descartes’ notion of “really” being distinct falls under his terms of “substances” and “modes”. A mode can be considered a trait of the substance and a substance only exist with the help of God. While the mode requires a substance to exist, the substance has no requirements other than God. For example, being a “pyramid” shape the “mode” of the extended “substance”, but the stone of the pyramid without any particular shape can exist without the need of other traits. It can exist by itself without requiring other matters. Therefore, Descartes is making the claim that each substance, the mind and body can exist individually of each other if God really wanted to.

Q1. Descarte's perspective of dualism and impact in the way behaviour was seen at the time and later.

In the 6th meditation, Rene Descartes argues that “mind” and “body” are two “clear” and “distinct” objects. This school of thought is popularly known as “Cartesian Dualism” in the fields of philosophy and psychology. In this essay I will present the arguments proposed by Descartes in the 6th Meditation and thereafter provide counterarguments to his claims and thus, finally draw a conclusion based on the arguments.

In Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes, we are presented with the idea of mind-body dualism where our mind is separate from our body. Following the release of the Meditations, various critics came forth with problems in Descartes’ idea of dualism. Using Princess Elizabeth’s objections to Descartes’ dualism and Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy we can see how the mind and body work together and that Descartes’ theory of mind-body dualism is not supported.