Analyzation of Descartes’ Argument on Dualism for Mind and...

Dualism is a theory which says that mind and body are two distinct kinds of reality and the self is a mind which has a close â€Å"association† with a body. In this essay I will analyze Descartes’ argument on dualism for mind/ and body. Moreover, I will argue that Descartes’ argument on mind and body is not successful. First, I will analyze Descartes’ argument for the dualism of the mind and body. Descartes argument goes as follows that the mind and body must be two separate substances because body is divisible but the mind is indivisible. He says that â€Å"when I consider the mind, that is, when I consider myself in so far only as I am a thinking thing, I can distinguish in myself no parts† (Meditation VI, section 19). That’s when Descartes adopted the method of doubt. So the question here is as follows â€Å"why Descartes adopted method of doubt?† His main goal was to reconstruct his knowledge based on clear and certain ideas. But on the other hand, he says, â€Å"quite the opposite holds in corporeal or extended things; â€Å"for I cannot imagine any one of them [how small so ever it may be], which I cannot easily sunder in thought, and which, therefore, I do not know to be divisible† (Ibid). In these quotations, Descartes states that mind and body are thou ght of differently. This part is very important because it shows that his argument for the mind and body actually being distinct substances relies on the fact that mind and body must be thought of indifferent ways, as indivisible andShow MoreRelatedDescartes, Berkeley, And God5780 Words   |  24 PagesDescartes, Berkeley, and God There are conflicting views between philosophers of the modern era pertaining to the existence of God. Even further, many of these philosophers who share the opinion that God does in fact exist also have opposing views as to how that affects their world view. For example, Descartes’s narrator, in the fifth meditation comes to the conclusion, that God, an almighty benevolent being, is no deceiver, and holds all perfection. Within this system, the narrator