Descartes ' Proof That The Mind And The Body

Does Descartes provide a convincing argument for the claim that mind and matter are distinct substances

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

Descartes concludes from his first meditation that he is a thinking thing, and as long as he thinks, he exists. In the second meditation, Descartes attempts to define what the “thinking thing” that he concluded himself to be in the first meditation actually was. Descartes’ determines that he gains knowledge of the world, that is, knowledge that is separate from the mind, through the senses; and that the senses can deceive. This he outlines within the first meditation, and mentions on the second meditation. Furthermore, in the second meditation, Descartes refuses to define himself as a rational animal, instead going back and relying on labeling him mind as a thinking thing. In the fifth and sixth paragraphs of the second meditation, Descartes distinguishes the body from the soul. Descartes indicates that there is the presence of the body, and it seems to be in the physical world, but he also notes that his mind does not seem to exist in the same manner. Descartes also claims that the ability to perceive is a power of the soul, but inoperable without the body. Descartes then explores another object with physical substance, which is a piece of wax. The piece of wax is undeniably physical; it takes up space within the material world. The body falls into the category, just as any other physical object in the material world. The main point of Descartes’ second meditation is that any given person can know more about their mind than of the world surrounding them.

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

As Descartes defines the mind and body, as clearly and distinctly separate entities with mental and physical properties, only when considered separately from each other. But then they cannot without irrationality also be considered as united, for this would be to consider them at the same time as two different and one single substance, which, as Descartes admits,

The essence of a thing is the property or set of properties that the thing cannot do without. Decartes claims the essence of body is extension and the essence of mind is thought, therefore the two are completely distinct. The manner in which he comes to this conclusion is through his following argument: Descartes claims to understand the mind to be indivisible by its very nature. He also understand body to be divisible by its very nature. He therefore concludes, the mind is completely different from the body. (59). Descartes come to this conclusion that mind and body are distinct, not by stating that there is a clear and distinct understanding of the nature’s of mind and body as completely different, but rather bases his argument on a particular property of each substance. He does not prove this by choosing any property but a rather a property that the mind and body has by its very own nature. “There is a great difference between the mind and the body, inasmuch as the body is by its very nature always divisible, while the mind is utterly indivisible” (59). Descartes is using the term “nature” synonymously with “essence.” He claims that extension constitutes the essence of bodily kinds of things, while thinking constitutes essence of mental things. In other words, a property of what it is to be a body, or extended thing, is to be divisible, while a property of what it is to be a mind or thinking thing is indivisible. He ultimately proves

     This is where the wax argument comes into play. All the properties of the piece of wax that we perceive with the senses change as the wax melts. This is true as well of its primary properties, such as shape, extension and size. Yet the wax remains the same piece of wax as it melts. We know the wax through our mind and judgement, not through our senses or imagination. Therefore, every act of clear and distinct knowledge of corporeal matter also provides even more certain evidence for the existence of Descartes as a thinking thing. Therefore his mind is much clearer and more distinctly know to him than his body. At this

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

that you exist is proof that you in fact exist as how can you doubt

Something very essential to know about Descartes is his idea of Cogito Ergo Sum; I think, therefore I am. He believes that he exists because he is thinking, making him a thinking thing. Descartes first premise states, "I have a clear and distinct idea of myself, in so far as I am simply a thinking, non-extended thing" (Descartes, 54). The first thing that we need to understand from this premise is what Descartes means by extended; to occupy space. So, since he believes that he is not an extended thing, it follows that he does not take up space. Given this, he looked inside himself and saw no parts within his mind, no space or boundaries that his mind contains. In addition, the mind provides a place for free will and faith, which are not parts but different ways of thinking. He rationalizes this by making the mind of a qualitative substance. By saying that only things that can be measured must be of a material substance and those things that cannot be measured are of a thought like substance. The relation between body and mind now seem to be more divided since he believes that his mind is not extended. In short, this premise states that the mind has no parts, making it indivisible.

I disagree with Descartes’s use of clear and distinct ideas to support his premise because his inferences on the ideas are wrong. In this argument, Descartes claims that the ideas of body and mind are clear and distinct. In addition, he presents a scenario of thought and extension in the mind and body respectively. In this argument, it is clear that he is

Perhaps the most startling conclusion reached by René Descartes in Meditations on First Philosophy is his proposed disconnection between the Mind and Body. Striving to separate the spiritual from the corporeal to enable scientific examination of the earthly without interference from the divine, Descartes conceives that the two basic human substances, Mind and Body, are distinct and therefore able to exist separate of one another in his [in]famous claim of substance dualism. His conclusions rest upon the concept of division, stating “we cannot understand a body except as being divisible, while by contrast we cannot understand a mind except as being indivisible” (9). He describes the Mind as unextended substance – matter that is unable to be

In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes has drawn a really sharp distinction between the mind and the body. Descartes argue that the mind is a thinking, non-extended thing, while the body is an extended, non-thinking thing. Therefore mind and body have nothing in common and can understand themselves without the existence of the other. In his Letter of Dedication, Descartes states that the purpose of him proving that “God exists and that the human mind is distinct from the body” (Descartes 2) is for those irreligious people who only believe in mathematics and will not believe in the immortality of human soul without a mathematical demonstration of it. However, since we do not have any experience of minds that can exist without a body and a body that exist without a mind, the argument would only reasonable if Descartes clear and distinct perception can guarantee the truth.

Firstly, Descartes does have the right to hold that the mind and body are two completely separate things, with different essences, as he has explained this by the argument that both the mind and the body have their own conscious roles. According to Descartes, the mind will always be