Sartre or Descartes Theory

Sartre or Descartes Theory

Descartes' Theory on Mind and Body

Descartes thought that the mind and body were two different substances. He supported that by proclaiming that he could doubt the existence of his body (physical reality), but he could not doubt the existence of himself (Clarke, 2006). He believed that indicated that he was not identical to his body, and that they were two separate things. The reason he could not doubt his existence as a being of some type who could think was due to the fact that the very act of considering the issue meant that he had to be some type of thinking being (Duncan, 2008). The issue here is that Descartes is focused o how the mind and the body have to be two different substances because they are not identical to one another. If they were identical, all of the properties they share would be the same (Duncan, 2008). Since that is the not the case, the mind and body have to be separate things that work together (Duncan, 2008). How they work together is another question with no easy answer, although many things in the world that are different from one another do work together in some way. The idea that they could do so is realistic (Clarke, 2006).

In Descartes' way of looking at the world, the mind and the body do not have the same properties. The body is something which can be doubted, but the mind cannot be doubted (Clarke, 2006). Since they do not possess all of the same, identical properties of one another, it is logical to say that they are not identical. If they are not identical, they cannot be the same substance (Clarke, 2006). One can be a thinking being, with or without the need for or use of a body. Descartes did not try to argue that the body and mind are not intertwined in some way, though. They are fused to one another throughout this life. That led him to be fascinated as to the nature of the mind-body connection, and what about his specific body made it his (Clarke, 2006). How the mind and body came to be connected was something which he did not understand, but which he often pondered. The body and mind have unity, but they are still separate things (Duncan, 2008).

The claim that Descartes made can seem confusing, but it actually makes a great deal of sense. That is especially true for those who believe that there is something more after this life is over. Essentially, Descartes was stating that the mind, as a thinking thing, is not the same as the brain, which is a part of the body (Duncan, 2008). The two may work together, and there may even be a strong degree of unity, but that does not mean that the two are one and the same. Of course, that also poses the question of how the brain and mind can be ensured of being separate. In other words, where would the mind go and how would it be able to think without the brain? If both are required, they must be related or intertwined in some way. Of course, does that make them equal or the same? This is the question Descartes was faced with, and the one he tried to answer with many of his writings on the subject. His central claim is both easy to defend and difficult to defend, depending on one's beliefs regarding the mind. Because absolute proof either way is difficult, it is a pattern of belief and understanding that is at the forefront of the claim and must be addressed.