Descartes Mind-Body Dualism

To what extent if any is Descartes successful in showing there is a real distinction between mind and body

René Descartes believed that the mind and body are separate; that the senses could not always be trusted, but that because we as humans are able to think about our existence, we possess some sort of entity separate than our fleshly body. I believe this separate entity to be a soul”an immaterial and

As a result, Descartes believes the mind cannot extend like the body. Descartes uses a result that was made in the second meditation, “But what kind of a thing? As I have just said – a thinking thing,” (18) to make the claim in the sixth meditation, “For when I consider the mind, or myself in so far as I am merely a thinking thing…” (59) and as a result the mind, according to Descartes, is not identical with the body. Conscious, is another basis for Descartes’ argument. Consciousness is presented in the second meditation where Descartes states the mind is a thinking thing. He can conclude that the mind has a conscience while the physical body doesn’t have a conscience so again, the mind and body are not identical.

Descartian dualism is one of the most long lasting legacies of Rene Descartes’ philosophy. He argues that the mind and body operate as separate entities able to exist without one another. That is, the mind is a thinking, non-extended entity and the body is non-thinking and extended. His belief elicited a debate over the nature of the mind and body that has spanned centuries, a debate that is still vociferously argued today. In this essay, I will try and tackle Descartes claim and come to some conclusion as to whether Descartes is correct to say that the mind and body are distinct.

In his Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes states “I have a clear and distinct idea of myself, in as far as I am only a thinking and unextended thing, and as, on the other hand, I possess a distinct idea of body, in as far as it is only an extended and unthinking thing”. [1] The concept that the mind is an intangible, thinking entity while the body is a tangible entity not capable of thought is known as Cartesian Dualism. The purpose of this essay is to examine how Descartes tries to prove that the mind or soul is, in its essential nature, entirely distinct from the

Just because one can clearly and distinctly perceive the mind and body as distinct, does this mean that they actually are? Some argue against Descartes’ claim that the mind can exist without the body, saying that just because Descartes can think of his mind existing without his body, does not mean it really can. The main difficulty with Descartes argument relates to the overall idea of dualism, specifically about whether one thing, the mind, is the same thing as another, the body, or whether they are

In the Meditations, Rene Descartes attempts to doubt everything that is possible to doubt. His uncertainty of things that existence ranges from God to himself. Then he goes on to start proving that things do exist by first proving that he exists. After he establishes himself he can go on to establish everything else in the world. Next he goes to prove that the mind is separate then the body. In order to do this he must first prove he has a mind, and then prove that bodily things exist. I do agree with Descartes that the mind is separate from the body. These are the arguments that I agree with Descartes.

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

he distinction between the mind-body has been a controversial issue for centuries. Descartes' views differed from earlier scholars who described the mind-body as having different entities, one was physical and the other was abstract. Additionally, the theory that existed implied that the interaction between mind-body flowed in one direction. Therefore, the mind had a greater influence on the body, but on the other hand, the body had very little effect on the mind. One scholar described it as "a puppeteer pulling the strings of the body" which was almost independent of each other. However, Descartes had a different perspective on how he viewed the mind-body. He agreed the mind-body was different, however he also believed the mind

This essay will critically discuss and analyse how Descartes makes his argument for the separability of the mind and body in the Meditations on First Philosophy. In this text, Descartes argues for the distinction between the mind and body through reasoning that they are two very distinct and non-identical substances. Furthermore, he argues that because they are so clearly distinct from each other that the mind does not need to rely on the body to exist and that the body does not need to mind to exist, therefore, the mind and body can be separated. Firstly, he provides reasoning that they are different substances through doubting the existence of all material things around him, including his own body. Furthermore, while he can doubt the existence of his material body Descartes claims that there is no way for him to doubt the existence of his own mind. Secondly, he provides an argument that the mind and body are distinct substances due to them having other different properties; he does this by arguing that the body is divisible into parts while the mind is not. Therefore, because the mind and body do not have the same properties they are non-identical substances. Thirdly, he provides an argument that builds atop the first two, this argument is that because he can conceive so clearly that his mind and body are different they must be separable in some way.

Descartes dualism proposal is an interesting concept due to its simplicity. Yet, being so simply makes one more and more want to dismiss. His argument begins with what is known as Real Distinction. This is the term used to describe a substance or non-physical object that exists on due to the help of a higher being or power—be it God or science, though Descartes would likely argue for God. The mind, in Descartes view, can only exist because of this higher power. One knows the mind exists simply due to being able to ask the question of its existence. However, to prove that the body exists one must think about the physical nature, shape, and sensations of said body. In Descartes sixth meditation he discusses the idea that a person can conceive their mind without their body, but cannot conceive of the reverse. This argument seems to be the most sounds.

Descartes believes that since the mind and the body are two different things, then they can exist separately. This is the theory of dualism.

Descartes’ Meditation 6 explains the distinction between the mind and body. He explains that he is confused as to why his mind is attached to a particular body to which he calls his own. He questions why pain or tickling happens in his own body but does not occur in any body outside of his own and why a tugging feeling in his stomach tells him that he is hungry and that he should eat. From this, he perceives that he is only a thinking thing. The idea of a body is merely extended and the mind is

To support his claim of dualism, Descartes presents a number of arguments that attempt to prove that the mind is separate from his body. Two of his strongest points are from the conceivability argument and divisibility argument. Further reinforcement of his claims comes from the idea of privileged first-person access, where he concludes that only an individual has full access to his own thoughts and state of mind.

Descartes has a very distinct thought when thinking about the mind, and how it relates to the body, or more specifically then brain. He seems to want to explain that the mind in itself is independent from the body. A body is merely a physical entity that could be proven to be true scientifically and also can be proven through the senses. Such things are not possible with the meta-physical mind because it is independent of the body. Building on his previous premises, Descartes finally proves whether material things exist or not and determines whether his mind and body are separate from each other or not. In Meditation Six, Descartes lays the foundation for dualism which has become one of the most important arguments in philosophy.