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“Mind and Body”
Descartes claims that the mind and body, though inextricably linked, are actually completely separate entities. This dualism confirms that mind and body each possess distinct natures which cannot be categorized into one. While the human body is a material object that possesses all the features of physicality, humans likewise harness the capacity to conjure up judgments and ponder their own being-ness. In other words, humans possess minds. While the mind encompasses all mental functions including thought and consciousness, the body encompasses neural and structural facets of existence. In exploring the nature of this mutual interaction, Descartes confirms the need for a dismantling of foundational beliefs in order to truly see their distinctions. Furthermore, though those who held by faith are able to concede that both God exists and that the soul is undying, those who do not possess the same faith must be shown the immortal nature through “natural reason” (Descartes 35). Upon examining its own nature, the human mind cannot view itself as anything other than a vehicle for thought, which leaves every other facet in the sphere of the soul (Descartes 35). Descartes’ conclusion remains sound, in that the singly notable difference between a mind and a body lies in the fact that the body remains divisible whereas the mind is indivisible, which lends to the truth that the mind must be separate from the body.
Descartes begins the First Meditation with a discussion on the indispensible utility of doubt. Not only does honoring doubt relinquish all outstanding preconceptions that could intrude on objective observation, it also separates the mind from the senses (Descartes 39). Rather than simply prescribe to an outright repudiation of reality, acknowledging doubts allows for a thorough re-examination of preconceived notions in order to ensure that any future discoveries of truth will be as infallible as possible. The careful eradication of errors in perception and judgment is necessary for an earnest exploration of the human soul, and consequently the separation between mind and body. In order to break down the bedrock of accepted knowledge and “begin again from the original foundations,” Descartes uses doubt to ask the question of whether his entire perception may perhaps be a waking dream (Descartes 39). In the name of proper argument, Descartes makes the assumption that all human beings are merely dreaming, and that while it appears that we are “opening our eyes, moving our head, and extending our hands,” in actuality, these bodily extensions may not even truly exist at all (Descartes 41).
Descartes further explores the possibility that all of this waking dream may be the product of an evil entity that seeks to deceive human beings. Although he proposes that God’s goodness would not permit him to condone deception, Descartes recognizes the fallibility of human reasoning as well as the human perception of God’s unquestionable goodness. In Meditation Six, however, Descartes confirms that since both man and God exists, man’s conception of all that appears around him are not the deception of God but rather caused by body rather than spirit. While his senses can delude him, correct perception lies in the clear examination of what he directly observes. Descartes describes a thinking thing as something that “doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and that also imagines and senses” (Descartes 45). In this way, these abstract abilities cannot be attributed to merely corporeal capacity. In the example of observing wax, Descartes remarks that while the sentient entity has now changed, “and yet the wax remains” (Descartes 45). Even as the body can move or change, the mind can still remain.
The first practical implication of this mind-body distinction is the potential for immortality. If the mind is truly distinct from the body, then the human soul transcends physical death. What Descartes is more concerned with, however, is how the distinctly different nature of the physical and the mental realms calls for separate modes of interpretation and evaluation. The mental realm of thought and feeling, if invisible from the body, could be accounted for mathematically, just as the physical world can be quantified with numbers. This mental realm, however, cannot be joined with the physical world in the same way that we interpret and analyze this world of matter. Mental substance claims its own realm entirely, and lends to a mutually exclusive relationship between the material and the immaterial. When Descartes actively considers the existence of the mind, he is not concomitantly conceding the other realm of the physical. Descartes likewise states that God can create separation in any facet of reality that human beings observe and perceive. The fact that one is able to perceive one without the other, and vice versa, it reveals the truth that one can exist without the other. Therefore, Descartes’ claim remains correct, that the two realms are truly separate.
In the Sixth Meditation, Descartes explores how the difference between imagination and intellect lends clearly to the distinction between mind and body. When he is imagining, he is using a faculty that goes beyond mere perception and observation of the mind. The additional effort that is required to visualize something with the mind’s eyes proves that there is a capacity the goes beyond mere mental processing. Moreover, as he considers the difference between his power to imagine and his power to understand, he states that imagination is “is not required for [his] own essence, that is, the essence of [his] mind” (Descartes 62). If he were suddenly without the ability to use his imagination, he would “nevertheless undoubtedly remain the same entity” (Descartes 62). His conclusion therefore remains that the capacity to imagine relies upon something entirely separate from his brain and body. In addition, the lack of affinity between the physical sensation of something with the mental emotion that arises also confirms this distinction, such as in the case “between the sensation of something causing pain and the thought of sadness arising from this sensation” (Descartes 63).
In examining the faculties given to him as a human being, Descartes first touches upon the passive ability to sense the world around him, which allows him to receive and know “the ideas of sensible things” (Descartes 64). He notes, however, that he could not use this function if it were not for another separate part within himself hat could produce or bring about these ideas. He states that “this faculty surely cannot be in [him],” since it presupposes the ability to understand. Rather, these ideas appear naturally and without his own doing, and sometimes even “against [his] will” (Descartes 64). He thus concludes that the only plausible explanation is that the faculty lies in a substance other than his own body. Furthermore, while the body is easily divisible, the mind cannot be divided. As he calls himself “a thinking thing,” he concludes that he “cannot distinguish any parts within me,” or his mind (Descartes 67). Rather, he perceives and understands himself to be “manifestly one complete thing” (Descartes 67). Lastly, Descartes’ humility at the fallibility of man and his tendency to “commit errors” lends to the validity of his argument in the mind-body distinction, as it relies on pure reason and objectivity rather than lofty idealism (Descartes 68).
The contradicting viewpoint to Descartes’ claim of mind-body dualism is the idea that nothing exists but matter. If this is the case, then there is no separation between mind and body, for they are all components of the material world. The immateriality of the mind not only shows non-separation but also disqualifies the possibility of life after death. It is also plausible to associate the mind with the brain, whereas mind-body dualism claims that consciousness is something entirely separate from the functions of the brain. Descartes’ claim, however, proves to be more sound that this philosophy of materialism in that there is a distinct differentiation between what is produced physically in the brain and the feelings and emotions that arise as a result of physical sensation.
Descartes explores the relationship between the mental domain—which includes thoughts, feelings, and emotions—and the physical domain—which include neurons, protons, and neutrons. He argues that the mind remains an entity entirely separate from the body. In beginning the Meditations with a discussion on doubt and the fallibility of our beliefs and opinions, we are able to explore this mind-body distinction with utmost clarity. Our senses are prone to deceiving us, and we must question whether our perception of the world is actually rooted in reality or merely a waking dream. There lie no real signs that truly distinguish the state of waking with the state of sleep. Most important to this argument is to examine whether our perception of the physical world is really sound or mere illusion. Descartes claims that the inability to think of oneself as anything other than a thinking thing reveals the indivisibility of the mind, whereas anything that is externally observed can be easily separated. Descartes’ conclusion of mind-body dualism thus remains assured in the indivisibility of the mind compared to the divisibility of the body, and the fact that the mind can exist without the body and the body without the mind.
WORKS CITED
Ariew, Roger, and Eric Watkins. Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources.
Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Pub., 2009. Print.
