Rene Descartes Cartesian Dualism Analysis
Cogito ergo sum, or in other words I think, therefore I am. This phrase was the axiom of Rene Descartes’ meditations on the philosophy of mind. Descartes used this phrase as the basis of his reasoning throughout his meditations where he establishes the idea of Cartesian Dualism. Another major topic that Descartes mentions repeatedly in his meditations is the distrust of the senses and reliance on reason. He also heavily uses his own method of doubting the existence of everything until he can prove it through his own logical analyses. The idea of Cartesian Dualism was conceived through the mind of Rene Descartes through a series of meditations. In its most basic definition, Cartesian Dualism is the belief in the separation between the immaterial mind and the physical body. Descartes began creating this concept as he began his first meditation where he came to doubt his own existence, however he also discovered that in order for him to doubt his existence then he indeed must already exist. Descartes uses this idea as his axiom, or base, of his conclusions on things such as the existence of himself, physical objects, and God. At this point Descartes has only
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The first flaw is that while Descartes supposedly doubts all things, even his own existence in the beginning, however he does not doubt the existence of God and claims his idea has no outside cause except for God. Another flaw in his reasoning is that he offers no reason for the mind to be attached to the body or how the mind and body communicate. Another problem for which Descartes has no real answer is why the mind perceives pain rather than observing it. With the flaws of Cartesian Dualism, I do not find the position to be entirely plausible. If there was a more definitive and explainable link between the mind and immaterial body given by the Cartesian Dualism, then it may have been more
The first flaw is that while Descartes supposedly doubts all things, even his own existence in the beginning, however he does not doubt the existence of God and claims his idea has no outside cause except for God. Another flaw in his reasoning is that he offers no reason for the mind to be attached to the body or how the mind and body communicate. Another problem for which Descartes has no real answer is why the mind perceives pain rather than observing it. With the flaws of Cartesian Dualism, I do not find the position to be entirely plausible. If there was a more definitive and explainable link between the mind and immaterial body given by the Cartesian Dualism, then it may have been more