Essay on Descartes Mind and Body - 1129 Words

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.†¦show more content†¦In my eyes this does not cancel out that God is real, because it is possible that at first God created everything with good intentions, and left individuals to live and react to certain situations their own ways. He then b egins to address the problem of imagination. If he realizes that things are around him, that rules out the possibility that he is imagining such entities. He says that imagination is not essential to his existing, so he removes himself from these thoughts. After seeing this, he then attempts to see if the body truly does exist. He explains the beliefs he has about the outside world. He understands his body and such experiences it goes though, and through that he realizes that they must be present, and if they were not it would be impossible for him to feel them. He distinguishes the body from other things because the body must always be present, while other things could be merely different feelings. He here uses premises that he developed in Meditations three and four to help state that mind and body both exist, but separately. He says that his mind is different from his body, so therefore it must be separate from it. He then comes back to his Truth Rule from Meditation Fou r. â€Å"Every judgment that I make concerning matters that are â€Å"clear and distinct† to me is most assuredly true.† He says that god has made him think that his mind and body at distinctly separate, so they must be. He argues that his body and mind areShow MoreRelatedDescartes Mind and Body1480 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes’ Mind Body Dualism Rene Descartes’ main purpose is to attempt to prove that the mind that is the soul or the thinking thing is distinct and is separate from the body. This thinking thing was the core of himself, which doubts, believes, reasons, feels and thinks. Descartes considers the body to be an extended unthinking thing; therefore it is possible that one may exist without the other. This view is known as mind-body dualism. He believes that what he is thinking in his mind is what GodRead MoreDescartes’ Mind and Body Distinction817 Words   |  3 PagesDescartes’ Mind/Body Distinction 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)Read MoreDescartes Proof That The Mind And The Body1568 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes’ proof that the Mind and the Body are distinct substances is as follows, First Descartes asserts that everything that can be clearly and distinctly understood is within the ability to be created by God as to correspond identically with the way that Descartes understand things in the world. It follows from this assertion that because Descartes is able to clearly and distinctly understand one thing apart from one anot her is enough to make them noticeably different in substance. DescartesRead MoreDescartes : Mind And Body Dualism735 Words   |  3 PagesDescartes was a Renaissance philosopher who affirmed the value of the deductive method (Chaplin Krawiec, 1983). This is an essential part of the scientific method where in the search for knowledge one passes from the general to the particular in a way that starting from premises of universal character particular statements are inferred. His philosophical method of questioning all propositions leads him to suggest that doubt is an act of thinking and he could not doubt that he thought, affirmingRead MoreDescartes And The Mind Body Dualism2479 Words   |  10 Pages â€Å"The mind-body dualism, in philosophy, is the fact that any theory that the mind and body are distinct kinds of substances or natures. This position implies that mind and body not only differ in meaning, but refer to different kinds of entities (Britannica).† The most basic form of dualism is substance dualism. Substance dualism is the idea that he mind and body are composed of two ontologically distinct substances. According to one who believes and studies dualism, the mind is comprised of aRead MoreDescartes on the Distinction Between Body and Mind1181 Words   |  5 PagesName Tutor Course Date Descartes Premise for Distinguishing Body and Mind In the Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes discusses the nature of the body and mind. By drawing from three lines of thought, Descartes launches a powerful premise that the body is something distinct from the mind. He conceptualizes his argument by using the uncertainty of knowledge argument, appealing to God’s omnipotence, and describing the indivisibility of the body and mind. Therefore, the purpose of this paperRead MoreDescartes Meditations And The Separation Of Mind And Body1608 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes’ Meditations take us through what can be called into doubt and what he concludes is absolutely certain. Descartes argues that the mind and body are two distinct things, but he acknowledges that they are somehow connected. Although, Scholars have noted Descartes’ argument of the separation of mind and body, they have missed the importance of how he justifies the connection between the two, because God willed it so. At the start of his meditations Descartes is sifting through his priorRead MoreDescartes: Relationship Between Mind and Body922 Words   |  4 PagesDistinction 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 proofRead MoreDescartes Dualism And The Mind Body Theory1322 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes’ Dualism Rene Descartes dualism states that the mind and body are separate entities. The mind is a nonphysical, non-spatial substance; the mind and brain are separate existences, the brain is a part of the physical body and serves as a connection between the body and mind. Dualism is a hot topic of argument on whether the theory holds any validity or if it holds any truth. However, Cartesian dualism is a credible theory and has a lot of support to verify it. One major point in DescartesRead MoreSummary Of Descartes On The Mind-Body Distinction751 Words   |  4 PagesAssignment Descartes on the Mind-Body Distinction In the Sixth Mediation, Descartes advances a compact argument for the idea that the mind and the body are distinct (2006, AT 78). In this essay, I’m going to present what I take Descartes’ argument to be, and very briefly evaluate it afterwards. Descartes starts with the thought the we can understand, at least, something, and we can understand something in a specific manner: clearly and distinctly; we can’t be wrong, according to Descartes, about things