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DESCARTES? CLAIM THAT THE MIND AND BODY ARE SEPARATE
Descartes? Claim that the Mind and Body are Separate
An Argumentative Paper
Nabiil Hossenbaccus
ST. Francis Xavier University
Abstract
This paper provides arguments to support my position with reference to Descartes? claim that the mind and body are separate. The essay mainly analyses some main points from the works of Rene Descartes on mind-body dualism; much of his efforts were aimed to defy skepticism, he wanted to discover whether our beliefs could be relied upon. The substance for dualism put forward is supported by the fact that senses can be manipulated and senses can even lie, hence what we perceive can be deceptive or non-existent. To doubt is to have thought,
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He stated that if we reason carefully, then our clear and distinct ideas or thoughts are true. If one can clearly and distinctly conceive some state of affairs, then that state of affairs is possible. The distinction between possible and impossible situations, and contingent and necessary truths are made. Descartes referred to God being the only one who guarantees that clear and distinct perceptions are true. God is infinite compared to him, being a finite thing as he has limits. God is not a deceiver because he is perfect. People are deceived when they do not use their intelligence to make the correct judgements. We can only be sure of our clear and distinct perceptions if God exists as he is not a deceiver. Descartes distinguished between two faculties, namely the intellect and freedom of choice. God?s intellect is perfect as God knows everything whereas our intellect is limited. Our will, that is, freedom of choice, is closest to God. We have the ability to choose, affirm, and deny any proposition. No limitations are imposed on our will. We are the source of error because error occurs when our free will to choose, affirm or deny any proposition is combined with our limited intellect. Through this argument we can show that it is possible that A and B are distinct things by clearly and distinctly conceiving them as distinct. Hence it is …show more content…
by making the difference between imagination and intellect. For example, our intellect tells us that a triangle has three sides and we can imagine it. Our intellect tells us that a chiliagon is a shape of 1000 sides, but we cannot imagine it in our mind. Imagination appears to require material things. The way we perceive material things may be different. He stated that the mind is not only separate from the body, but can also live without it. If two things can exist apart from one another, then they must be two distinct and separate things. Descartes' arguments for the existence of body as essentially extended can then follow one of two strategies. The one he pursues in the?Meditations?is to show that he can demonstrate the existence of body through reason. He claims to perceive clearly and distinctly that the primary attribute of body is extension. His arguments from the imagination and the senses are supposed to show that his intellectual faculties seem to be linked to something outside of the mind. Descartes had a clear and distinct idea of the mind as thinking and non-extended thing and the body as non-thinking and extended thing. He stated that the relationship between the mind and the body is ?not like a sailor aboard a ship?, the mind is not only separate from the body, but can also live without it. The body is extended and is therefore divisible into separate parts like the arms, legs and other parts. However, he did not believe
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
In this paper, I will discuss the “Divisibility argument” on Descartes mind- body dualism presented on Descartes meditations. I will claim that the mind and the body are in fact different as Descartes argument suggests, but I will more rather neglect and explain why his belief that the mind is indivisible is wrong. I also will discuss how Descartes argument on the body’s divisibility is reasonable, and the reasons why I believe this argument is true.
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.
Descartes’ argue that mind is better known than body by first claiming humans as fundamentally rational, meaning “a thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is willing, is unwilling,” ( Descartes, 19) he therefore argues that humans have the ability to know their proper minds clearly and distinctly. He proposes the conception of the mind where the imagination and the senses are also inherent capabilities of the body (faculties), specifically powers of the mind.
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
In Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy, he introduces the divisibility argument for his idea of mind-body dualism. It argues that the mind is distinct from the body and that they are different "substances". The argument has two premises; the mind is indivisible and the body is divisible. In this essay, I will interpret Descartes' argument by discussing the key points of these premises and how they are supported. I will also be incorporating my own thoughts on the argument to determine whether the divisibility argument is enough to validate the idea of mind-body dualism.
In Meditation six: Concerning the Existence of Material Things, and the Real Distinction between Mind and Body, Rene Descartes wrote of his distinctions between the mind and the body, first by reviewing all things that he believed to be true, then assessing the causes and later calling them into doubt, and then finally by considering what he must now believe. By analyzing Descartes’ writing, this paper will explicate Descartes’ view on bodies and animals, and if animals have minds. Before explicating the answer to those questions, Descartes’ distinctions between the mind and the body should first be summarized and explained.
Final Clause In Rene Descartes's Meditations On First Philosophy, the author questions why God, as a perfect being, did not create him or mankind as perfect beings who were incapable of committing errors. Descartes later concluded that his mind was both inadequate and limited to understand God, a supremely perfect being. Descartes believed that his perception of imperfection and perfection in the universe was to be determined by his roles and functions. Descartes compared his will to God's will and stated that God's will is accompanied by infinite knowledge and power.
In the meditations, Descartes evaluates whether or not everything we know is a reality or a dream. Descartes claims that we can only be sure that our beliefs are true when we clearly and distinctively perceive them to be true. As the reader analyzes the third meditation, Descartes has confirmed that some of his beliefs are in fact true. The first is that Descartes himself exists. This is expressed in what has now become a popular quote known as the “Cogito” which says, “I think therefore I am. His second conclusion is that God exist and that he is not a deceiver. Descartes then presents his arguments to prove the existence of God. He argues that by nature humans are imperfect beings. Furthermore, humankind could not possibly be able to comprehend perfection or infinite things on their own. He writes, “By the name of God I understand a substance that is infinite, independent, all-knowing, all powerful, and which myself and everything else…have been created.”(16) Descartes uses this description of God to display the distinction between God and man.
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.
This paper will attempt to explain Descartes’ first argument for the distinction that exists between mind and body. Dualism is a necessary aspect of Descartes’ metaphysics and epistemology. This distinction is important within the larger framework of Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) because after doubting everything (body, extension, senses, etc.), Descartes comes to the conclusion that because he doubts, he must be a thinking thing and therefore exist (p.43). This means that the mind must be separate and independent from the body. One can doubt that the body exists while leaving the mind intact. To doubt that the mind exists, however, is contradictory. For if the mind does not exist, how, or with what, is that doubt being accomplished.
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