...Dualism claims that reality is composed by the substances body and mind, whereas the body belongs to the physical world and the mind to the nonphysical world. Rene Descartes was a relevant defender of substance dualism, from his point of view, the body has a presence in the material space, meaning it exist and occupies the physical world while our thoughts and feelings exist in our mind and are not perceivable in the material or physical world. For Descartes, this two substances, material and immaterial "interact with each other at some point in the body", but are distinct objects because they have different properties. John Searle, on the side, recognizes the substance dualism from the supervenience theory, - even if sometimes he claims...
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...assess dualism as a theory of the relation of mind and body. Human beings are material objects. However, unlike other material objects (e.g. non-living things) humans have the ability to form judgements and reason their existence. Meaning to say that, human beings have 'minds'. In general, humans are characterised as having both a mind and body. By definition, mind is referred to the mental processes, thought and consciousness whereas body is referred to the physical aspects of the brain-neurons and how the brain is structured. This is known as dualism. In the philosophy of mind, dualism is the theory that the mental (mind) and the physical (body) are both real or exist, but both of them are different kinds of thing. The theory of mind-body dualism is presented by Rene Descartes (1596-1650), who holds that both mind and body are substances, in which the body is a material substance as it is extended in space whereas the mind is an unextended in space, and so called spiritual substance. According to Descartes, he believed that mind and body actually can interact through the pineal gland in the brain. In Descartes’s first principle of philosophy, “I think, therefore I am”, makes mind more certain than matter. It also showed that the mind which is a thinking thing can exist apart from its extended body. Hence, Descartes said that the mind is a substance that is different from the body (a substance whose essence is thought). This became known as “Substance Dualism” (view...
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...The correspondence between philosopher René Descartes and the Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia from 1643 to 1649 give incredible insight not only into the person of René Descartes but the intricacies of his philosophical views, particularly as a critical review of his substance dualism. The core tenants of Cartesian dualism are (in brief) that; 1) There exists only two distinct types of substance; material substances (of the body and the physical realm – that is extended spatially) and immaterial substances (that make up the mind, rationality and the soul.) 2) In relation to the body – Descartes is a mechanist; such that the body operates like a machine, according to internal laws, reactivity to external stimuli. The soul or mind is capable of diverting these automated principles; such that we see the distinction between human reason and action, and the behaviour of animals....
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...describing the nature of our reality, philosophers have been in search of a system that truly and completely explains everything. It is noteworthy that numerous system have developed over the past few centuries. However, in this paper only four notable theories (dualism, materialism, idealism and transcendental idealism) will be explored. Each theories provide adequate explanation of reality but there are limitations and shortcomings when one contemplate carefully. The theories will be explored and critique by using the mind body problem, The Chinese room, the radical emergence theory. Moreover, one should consider which theory describes the nature of reality with least logical incoherencies. Substance Dualism is a theory that describes “mind and matter” as “two distinct things” (Nagel Thomas 206). Furthermore, substance dualism categorize matter as “physical or material substance” and mind or soul as “non-physical or immaterial substance” (Lacewing Michael) “Substance Dualism”). So, dualism is the proposal that human being as a living, thinking entity not only includes brain and physical matter but also a non-physical substance to account for the mind. The famous seventeenth century French philosopher René Descartes claimed that as “a subject of conscious thought and experience, he cannot consist of spatially extended matter”. He therefore states that “his essential nature must be non-material, even if in fact his soul is intimately connected with his body” (qtd in.Nagel Thomas...
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...you can now restate the conclusion of the argument.] [Section 2: Critical analysis/critique of the argument] [Analyze each premise of the argument you summarized.] [Explanation] [Is the premise true or false?] [Explain why you think so.] [Give an example to support this.] [Explain your example.] [Clarify your explanation.] [Consider possible objections the philosopher could have to particular criticisms you made above.] [Conclude with a sentence asserting that you have proved your thesis.] Detailed Explanation and Examples 1. [Paragraph 1] Explain the purpose of your paper. [This means restate the essay question]. a. [First one or two sentence(s)] For example, if you are being asked to summarize and critique Descartes’ argument for mind/body dualism, then you would say something like: i. “In...
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...following dialogue will present the position of René Descartes and John Searle regarding the mind and body debate. Descartes: It is certainly obvious that the mind and body are two distinctly different entities. The body has physical properties whereas the mind is nonphysical. John: With all due respect Mr. Descartes, I can’t say that I fully agree with your proclamation. However, I would say that the mind is a biological state of the mental that can cause or be caused by physical changes to the body. I feel like you do not have sufficient justification of the relationship of the body and mind (Searle, 2004). Descartes: Well young man, let me explain a few things that will support my premise in a substantial way that may indeed change your position. First of all, the mind can exist without the present of the body. You see John; the existence of my body is dubitable whereas my mind is not. Therefore my mind does not consist of the same properties of my body. This is a clear distinction that my mind is separate from my body. John: Mr. Descartes, we can agree to disagree with some matters of the mind and body. I am troubled that many people think that they have a mind or soul and a body. I am also concerned that some people think they have all three. (Searle, 2004). Western Philosophers are often portraying some type of dualism and people have accepted this theory for many years. Descartes: And rightfully so Mr....
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...that, an in depth look into dualism (any philosophical position that divides existence into two completely distinct, independent, unique substances) is presented. For some, a car-driver analogy can be used. The mind is the driver and the body is the car. However, Descartes rejects this idea and unites the mind and body into a whole. This leads us to Cartesian dualism. Cartesian dualism can be defined as sensations that go with the body, not with the mind, but they only exist from the perspective of the mind. Descartes was the first to clearly identify the mind with consciousness and self-awareness and to distinguish this from the brain, which was the seat of intelligence. Descartes held that the immaterial mind and the material body are two completely different types of substances and that they interact with each other. He reasoned that the body could be divided up by removing a leg or arm, but the mind or soul were indivisible. As proof, Descartes used cogito ergo sum, "I reflect, therefore I am." We cannot doubt the existence of our own self because we cannot doubt it unless there was a self to do the doubting. Though the mind and body are of a different nature, they still reacted on each other. Senses and physical movement are dependent on the body. Awareness, however, lies in the soul. According to Descartes, awareness is achieved by the body acting upon it. As this concept is not easily grasped, Descartes presents his arguments for dualism. These arguments are as follows:...
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...vary from a different period. However, many philosophers have different arguments on culture in various time periods. This term paper will explain the life, times, and critical theories of Rene Descartes who is one of the most significant thinkers who ever inquired into the connection between mind and body. It will also explain how culture and period influenced his ideas. Also, it will identify and evaluate the key concepts and analyzes that comprised Descartes' theories. Furthermore, it will detect and describe Descartes' contributions to the field of philosophy as discussed below. The key concepts and analysis that comprises his theories that include the theory of sense perception and the theory of ideas which he mostly concentrates on. According to Descartes' ontology, there are three levels of being which are mode attribute and substance.. The levels of being are agreed regarding ontological requirement, Modes rely on attributes of their being in a way that those same attributes do not depend on methods used and but to rely on the substances for their being in a way that elements do not depend on characteristics. The spirit or nature of a mind, Descartes says, is to think. If a thing does not have faith in, it is not a mind. In his analytical, this very feature of Descartes' theory of ideas, Vere Chappell introduced the terminology of “counterparts” (Chappell, 1986). The sun as symbolized in an approach, which might be taken to be the “objective sun”, “this would...
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...FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OYE-EKITI, EKITI STATE, NIGERIA. A TERM PAPER TITLE:- “THE ESSENCE/SUBSTANCE OF MAN” BY FACULTY: SCIENCE DEPARTMENT: MICROBIOLOGY COURSE TITLE: PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC COURSE CODE: GST 205 CONTENT * Introduction * What is man * Philosophically * Scientifically * The essence and substance of man * What constitute man * Man as a dualist * Man as a monad * Man as a socialist * Man as a spiritual entity * Man as a physical entity * Intrinsic characteristics that man have in common * Illustration of the mental essence(when man is abnormal is he still half or full) INTRODUCTION The essence of man is the constituent of man which goes beyond his body alone but extends to his mind, soul, spirit and other attributes of man. But we cannot talk about the essence of man without the existence of man because without an existence of man, man’s essence is of no use and nothing to talk about. This brings about the proposition ‘existence precedes essence’. The proposition that existence precedes essence is a central claim of existentialism, which reverses the traditional philosophical view that the essence (the nature) of a thing is more fundamental and immutable than its existence (the mere fact of its being). To existentialists, human beings—through their consciousness—create their own values and determine a meaning for their life because the human being does not possess any inherent identity or value. By posing the acts that constitute...
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...Philosophy of mind * Dualism: Mind and body distinctly exist -Plato, Descartes * Substance dualism: the mind is an independently existing substance * Property dualism: the mind is a group of independent properties that emerge from and cannot be reduced to the brain, but that it is not a distinct substance * Monism: mind and body are not ontologically distinct kinds of entities, i.e. independent substances. -Parmenides, Spinoza * Physicalist: only entities postulated by physical theory exist, and that mental processes will eventually be explained in terms of these entities as physical theory continues to evolve. * Behaviorism: dualism and physicalism both make categorical mistakes * Type identity theory: Type the tokenevery token instantiation of a single mental type corresponds to a physical token of a single physical type. * Anomalous monism: Token without typeType identity: the token-token correspondences can fall outside of the type-type correspondences. Davidson: mental events are identical with physical events, the mental is anomalous, and i.e. relationships between these mental events are not describable by strict physical laws. Supervenience vs realization * ------------------------------------------------- Functionalism: mental states (beliefs, desires, being in pain, tic.) are constituted solely by their functional role, i.e. they are causal relations to other mental states, sensory inputs and behavioral outputs. *...
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...Question No. 1 Answer: John Searle has attempted to stake out a center position in the middle of materialism and property dualism, which he calls biological naturalism. John Searle fundamentally rejects dualism and contends that the conventional mind-body issue has a 'basic arrangement': mental wonders are both brought on by biological procedures in the brain and are themselves components of the brain. All the more accurately, mental states and occasions are macro-properties of neurons similarly that solidity and liquidity are macro-properties of molecules. Searle is likewise right to deny the name property-dualism on the off chance that it conveys ramifications of backing for specific principles of reflection, advantaged access, or internal...
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...For centuries, philosophers have been contemplating the relationship between the body and the mind, creating a major conflict amongst theorists. Dualism is a theory that claims that the mind, a non-physical substance, is completely separate and distinct from the body, a physical substance. Originally coined by the famous philosopher René Descartes, dualism has since been argued against and overshadowed by numerous opposing theories. This was primarily due to the many weaknesses that dualism faced and the problems that could not be explained under this view. One of the opposing theories, functionalism, did not face the weaknesses that dualism did, and the problems they came across were not an issue for functionalists. This view, most strongly...
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...What would you tell me if I told you everything was a dream and nothing that you have lived is true. so you infact want to demolish everything and start from scratch well i welcome you to descartes way of thinking. This is just the beginning to his arguments would like by first stating that dualism has two sets of everything and is the distinction between physical or material states. For example what can be distinguished from the two is the mind and the body are two different things it’s like saying that humans can think with their body instead with there mind but if the argument was vice versa then the argument would be correct. Dualism can be worded as when having the mind working but can’t make any sensory to the body that would be another...
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...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 certainty of reality or truth of worldly opinions. In meditations 1.5, he notes that his opinions about the world are based on senses and argues that he cannot be certain that his senses deceive him. He argues that he cannot be sure that what he thinks of as his perceptions of the world are not dreams (Cress 36). Because there is no mechanism for distinguishing sleep from wake, Descartes says that he is also uncertain about the existence of the body. In addition, he argues that an evil demon may be deceiving him about the existence of the sky, air, colors, sounds, and bodies yet such things are illusions of dreams (Cress 41). By reflecting on the scenario of the evil demon and dreaming, Descartes doubts whether external things such as the body...
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...In “Descartes’ Myth” by Gilbert Ryle, the author proposes an argument against Descartes’ theory of dualism. Throughout the piece, Ryle states that the “official doctrine” of dualism is a mind-body separation where consciousness and physicality are completely two disjointed entities (Ryle 364). He further explains this by emphasizing the fact that mental substances cannot be quantified with a numerical value such as density or weight. Also, one’s consciousness and mind cannot be located in space or seen by other individuals since it entirely exclusive to the self. On the other hand, the body is defined as a physical substance which is governed by mechanical laws, composed of matter, and can be observed in the external world as a “public affair”...
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