Descartes Proof That The Mind And The Body - 1568 Words

Descartes’ 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 another is enough to make them noticeably different in substance. Descartes follows this with the notion of the mind, saying that because one is able to possess a clear and distinct understanding of their self as a distinct and separate substance, which is not extended into the environment and handles all of the logical thinking. He continues to say that he possesses a clear and distinct understanding of the body as an extended and unthinking. He finishes with the conclusion that this demonstrates that the body and the mind are actually distinct form one anoth er. By saying that they are distinct substances, in Descartes’ overall argument, means that the mind and the body are composed primarily of two separate and unique substances and that they are unable to share properties such as that the body is the corporeal substance that experiences the sensations of the world, or in other words the body’s substance is that of feeling. The mind is an ethereal substance that is responsible for reason and rationality. They are distinct in that their existence isShow MoreRelatedDescartes and the Existence of God751 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Descartes: The existence of God Over the course of his treatise Discourse on the Method, the philosopher Rene Descartes attempts to refute radical skepticism, or the idea that we can know nothing with the mind, because what we consider reality may simply be a delusion or a dream. Descartes begins, however, by taking a posture of doubting everything, and then attempting to discern what could be known for certain. 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Main arguments of the book are well developed by a logical pattern and supported by examples. However, closely investigating this work, readers can come across many contro versies and disputations. Being a well educated person, Descartes finds hisRead MoreDescartes Dualism And The Mind Body Theory1322 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes’ Dualism Rene Descartes dualism states that the mind and body are separate entities. The mind is a nonphysical, non-spatial substance; the mind and brain are separate existences, the brain is a part of the physical body and serves as a connection between the body and mind. Dualism is a hot topic of argument on whether the theory holds any validity or if it holds any truth. However, Cartesian dualism is a credible theory and has a lot of support to verify it. One major point in Descartes