Descartes and the Mind Essay - 1689 Words

The topic of the mind and how do we know has been around since the beginning of time. It is one of those questions that will most likely never be answered. I mean, the mind itself is so perplexing that we are still learning stuff about it daily. One question that Descartes proposed was â€Å"how do we know?† we still are pondering this one today. We ask it almost every day, maybe not in that way but in some form or another. So honestly, how do we know? Whenever Descartes started studying about the mind he denounced all of his previous opinions and started fresh. He first stated that â€Å"knowledge is seen as a building in which all the superstructure is resting on a foundation, and the building is only as strong as its foundation†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦So he began to ponder on how to prove that he truly did exist. He finally came up with this: Thought exists; it alone cannot be separated from me. I am; I exist – this is certain. But for how long? For as long as I am thinking; for perhaps it could also come to pass that if I were to cease all thinking I would then utterly cease to exist. At this time I admit nothing that is not necessarily true. I am therefore precisely nothing but a thinking thing; that is a mind, or intellect, or understanding, or reason – words of whose meanings I was previously ignorant. Yet I am a true thing and am truly existing; but what kind of thing? I have said it already: a thinking thing (Meditation II 31). So in proving that he existed he also proved who he was or who we are. We are â€Å"thinking things† things that can function as long as we think, but the moment that we stop thinking is the moment that we no longer exist. So is that the moment we die? Or is it something entirely different? So through this he proved that anything that he cannot doubt then that is what he is. And whatever he can doubt, then he is not. He now had the knowledge of knowing about himself of who and what he was. But there was a problem with this, that even though one doubted something then it could still be true. One could doubt that he/she won a race even though they did win. Even thoughShow 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 Over Matter1331 Words   |  6 Pages1018 Professor Crowell Phil 21 22 April 2016 Mind over Matter In his meditations Descartes supposed there was two fundamentally different sorts of substances in the universe, physical stuff, which bodies and chairs etc. are made up of; which is extended in space, hence he called it res extensa, but there’s also mind stuff which isn’t in space at all thinking stuff or, res cogitans. Bodies are made of res extensa and minds are made of res cogitans and the two are separate. To understand why he thoughtRead 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 MoreEssay on Descartes Mind and Body1129 Words   |  5 PagesDescartes 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 whetherRead 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 proof