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What Does Descartes Error Mean

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Anthony Damasio’s: Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain introduces the reader to the interesting world of emotions. Before reading this book, one probably did not pay much attention to the science and philosophy behind emotion. In fact, few people would likely be able to properly describe and define emotion. Damasio, though, demonstrates that emotions are central to the life-regulating processes of almost all living creatures. Damásio presents the” somatic-marker hypothesis” a proposed mechanism by which emotions guide behavior and decision-making, and positing that rationality requires emotional input. He argues that Rene Descartes’ "error" was the dualist separation of mind and body, rationality and emotion.
To begin the book, Damasio explains the differences between feeling and emotion. Feeling is then defined …show more content…

Elliot is a construction worker who suffers severe head trauma following a horrific accident. Though Eliot has seemingly recovered, he is unable to reason or think critically. Elliot is unable to plan ahead; he only devotes his mind to trivial follies and cannot look at the “big picture” of life. Damasio then notes that Eliot's psychologist recommended psychotherapy, not making the connection between brain damage and personality change. He notes stigma attached to mental illness. What is so shocking to Damasio is that many of Eliot's cognitive functions remained untouched. So Damasio wonders whether social reasoning is different from abstract reasoning. Next, Damasio notes Eliot's lack of affect, which is found when Eliot demonstrates no emotional reaction to disturbing pictures. Yet, Eliot retained a conceptual understanding of social conventions. He could also generate options, assign consequences, match means to ends, predict consequences, and he was mature on a developmental scale of moral reasoning. Despite this normalcy, Eliot was still unable to make wise

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