Cartesian Dualism And The Body Essay - 1009 Words

How many people have really thought about what the mind is? How is the mind connected to the body? Are they two separate things or are the body and the mind the same thing? There are different theories to answer these questions. A philosopher, Descarte, believes in Cartesian Dualism, which is that the mind and body both exist, but are two distinct things: physical stuff and mental stuff. The mind is not located in physical space and is an immaterial soul, whereas the body is a physical being and these two things are separate. This means that the mind is a non-material thing that includes our consciousness and soul. Basically, our body and brain are a container that holds our actual self which is our mind. The mind, spirit, and soul are immaterial and interact with our bodies. The opposite view of Cartesian Dualism is called materialism. This says that the spirit does not exist because everything that exists is made from physical materials, such as the brain and the human mind. Our bo dy and mind are the same thing. Although Descarte believes in Cartesian Dualism, there are many arguments for and against it. One argument that is against it is called the Continuity of Nature Argument against Cartesian Dualism. This argument describes that nature is a continuous thing. For instance, being tan is a very vague characteristic and it’s on a continuous scale. There is no sharp boundary of tan people and pale people. There can be a â€Å"grey† area. There are degrees of being tan.Show MoreRelatedThe Mind Body Problem And Cartesian Dualism1024 Words   |  5 PagesDayna Gelman Justin Pannell April 24, 2015 PHI 107 The Mind-Body Problem and Cartesian Dualism In this paper I will argue for Cartesian dualism to be the most plausible solution to the mind-body problem. Cartesian dualism argues that there is a two-way interaction between mental and physical substances. 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