Descartes on the Distinction Between Body and Mind

Name 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 paper is to discuss and analyze Descartes’s premise for distinguishing the body and mind. In the first Meditation, Descartes begins by discussing a topic that seems far removed from the subject, yet instrumental to his argument. He questions the†¦show more content†¦However, unlike most his colleagues, Descartes defended dualism by basing his arguments on metaphysics and epistemology (Cress 79). While most philosophers seem to believe Descartes premise that the body and mind are distinct and can exist without each other, I disagree with Descartes proposition on knowledge and reality. Just because he thought that his mind could exist without his body does not mean the possibility is a reality. Maybe there is a metaphysical relationship between his body and mind that could have made it possible. There are two main difficulties facing Descartes argument. It is clear that he is using his thoughts to conclude what is plausible. If the body is the mind, then the body cannot exist without the mind. In addition, if the body can exist without the mind, then they are not the same things. From Descartes’ conception, we cannot conclude this. His conception is wrong because he argues that the mind and the body are the same yet he concludes that they exist independently. I disagree with Descartes’s use of clear and distinct ideas to support his premise because his inferences on the ideas are wrong. In this argument, Descartes claims that the ideas of body and mind are clear and distinct. In addition, he presents a scenario of thought and extension in the mind and body respectively. In this argument, it is clear that he isShow MoreRelatedDescartes: Knowledge is Truth Essay1202 Words   |  5 PagesDescartes: Knowledge is Truth With the emergence of the scientific revolution in the 17th century, views of society and nature were transformed throughout Europe. There were great developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry. The world and its views were changing, and with that change, came a new change in thought, a new change in philosophy. 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