Analysis of Descartes’ Mind/Body Distinction Essay

According to many different philosophers such as Descartes and Locke there has to be more to the mind than just the materialistic view. There are many different parts to the brain which make it a whole according to science, so thinking about the brain from a philosophical standpoint, there must be different parts to make up the minds identity. According to John Perry, the memories and personality traits as well as beliefs and intellectual skills make up a personal identity and the body is just a vessel that holds this identity (TP, 197). Certain people might believe that if one were to get a brain transplant they would wake up the same person they were before they went in for the surgery. I, on the other hand concur with Perry and the idea

The assertion that brain equals behavior brings up many questions and concerns. I am currently most concerned by the effects of physical damage to the brain. Although we have concluded that behavior is based at the lowest level upon the workings of neurons, it is the actual integration of these neurons that account for behavior. Any damage done to the brain either by disease or other disorders can result in a direct change in not only behavior but also personality and our very concept of self. These are things that are very important to us as human beings and are important to be able to treat or cure such disorders. Because a "network" of neurons acting together directs

From modern studies and research on the human body, it is strongly suggested that the mind depends on the brain to function. Neurons in the brain generate impulses, and they propagate down the axon, which then during synapses, they are converted into chemical signals that determine one’s mental process, which includes thinking, which for Descartes, is an essence of the mind (Fischbach 51-53). If the mind and the brain have such a close relationship, and because the brain is extended and divisible for taking up physical space, we can say that the brain is the physical extension of the mind, and if the mind is an extension due to its close relations with the brain, it does take up physical space, and therefore can be divided into smaller parts. Couple with that, cases of mental illnesses and the loss or damages of certain components in the brain also suggest that the mind can be divided. People with multiple personality disorder appears to have their mind divided, which led to the presence of multiple distinct personalities, all with their own consciousness, memory, and reasoning. Damages to the hippocampus can destroy one’s existing long-term memories and weaken the person’s ability to lay down new memories, and this essentially divides

As we all know, the brain controls everything we do, say, feel and think. It keeps us alive through circulation, breathing, digestion, hormones, and the immune system. Through the brain, we experience emotion and are able to express ourselves.

Is the mind and body one cohesive unit, or are both components mutually exclusive? This issue of mind and matter, as the article illustrates, has been a pervasive problem for centuries. How does matter, such as a combination of cells, develop the ability to reason? Our brain is a combination of cells generating a conscious being. How does this transition occur? This contentious issue has plagued generations and has yet to be adequately solved. As the article illustrates, the inability to solve this problem originates from man's tendency to apply a narrow discipline to a complex issue. During the 17th century civil war for instance, the concept of mind and body was reduced to a more convenient answer. During this period, philosophers and thought leaders were prone to find simple solutions to many of societies more complex issues. Thought leaders during this period believed that all things were comprised of both mind and matter. In many instances, the concept of the mind was very vague and difficult to define. These solutions however were inadequate as they didn't take into account the interconnectedness of many of the variables in which they used. In many instances, thought leaders of the period simply attempted to isolate one variable in hopes of finding a solution to the problem of mind and matter.

The brain, as defined in the dictionary, is the organ of thought. I have always been fascinated by the physiological and neurocognitive as well as the spiritual and philosophical views of scholars and researchers about this. I find Psychiatry endlessly intriguing, and feel lucky to have this opportunity to pursue a career in this field.

The brain is an amazing thing. It is the control tower of the human body, controlling everything from our thoughts to our actions to keeping us breathing and everything in-between. Scientists and researchers are always learning new and interesting things about the human brain. Consider these three recent Brain News studies:

They regulate the functions that ensure the body's survival — blood circulation, digestion, respiration, bio-assimilation — but also emotions like fear when faced with danger. The most recent parts of the brain, those which are particularly developed in the human species, are the frontal lobes that enable reflection, knowledge, imagination, and control of emotions. For a well-balanced personality, emotions must be able to develop normally, and the brain must learn to recognize and control

Your brain is who you are; it’s what allows you to think, breathe, move, speak, and feel.

The brain is an important organ in the human body. Although, the brain is an intricate structure, it influences everything, as our thoughts, our actions, and our emotions. Gaining knowledge on the functions of the brain can aid us in understanding human behavior as to why they behave in the manner they do.

Brain states and mental states have different characteristics than one another. The mind resides inside of the brain, but it is not the actual brain itself. The only way to prove that the

Our brains have the enough power to make all of the many different parts of our body function the way it should. It can make our body do involuntary actions that constantly keep us alive and healthy, and we don’t even realize all of the things that it is capable of. As Nicolaus Steno once said, “The brain, the masterpiece of creation, is almost unknown to us” (web.stanford.edu, 2014). The brain and its anatomy were first studied by the Egyptians in 1700 B.C., and ever since then, its immeasurable power has been continuously astonishing us with new and amazing discoveries of previously unknown capabilities (faculty.washington.edu, 2014). The first person to dissect the brain to study relationships between the brain and optic nerves was

exists except from matter so therefore the mind and the body (brain) work together and

     One of the most complex and fascinating things in the human body is the brain. The body is “capable of almost everything, but it would not be possible, without the brain receiving information, and analyzing the information.”

We might, on the other hand, think that the brain gives way to the illusion that a mind exists. In fact, the prevailing social norm of scientific realism suggests that any experience or phenomenon that cannot be explained by observation or experiment cannot be presumed to be spiritual in nature. There is amble physical evidence in the form of neuroscience and neurobiology that shows that emotions, cognitions, memories, and other attributes of the mind are actually stored or have origins in the brain. There is, furthermore, no proof of any survival of the soul after death and no proof that there even exists the individual self. Some philosophical traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism might even ironically coincide with the scientific perspective that the brain gives rise to the mind.