Descartes’ Discussion on Dualism

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Descartes’ Discussion on Dualism

Even though, the body and the mind are distinct from each other, Descartes argued that minds possess an excessively intimate relationship to the bodies of human beings. Accordingly, human beings comprise an unusual union of these entities, merged together by the Creator, in this case, God (Higgins, Martin, and Solomon, 339). Nonetheless, the theory presented by Descartes poses certain problems. Foremost, how is it possible for the immaterial (mind) to interact with the material (body)? Accordingly, the mind represents consciousness, which is responsible for the decisions and choices individuals make on a daily basis. However, it is rather conflicting to understand the process that takes place during the interaction between the mind and the body. In addition to this problem, how is it possible for the immaterial mind to move a body? Indeed, the mind is material since it does not possess any location within space. However, the human body does have such a location. Hence, it is simple to rule out that the mind, absent in space, lacks the capacity to exert any movement on the body. Regarding the interaction between the mind and the body, one of the readings that compel the theory comprises the monism ideology. This is because the respective ideology argues for the sole subsistence of matter (Higgins, Martin, and Solomon, 356). Accordingly, it is impossible to determine the effect that the mind imposes on the body. Based on this, the subject of monism asserts that there is solely matter, which may comprise of minds only or an incessant substance that possess two aspects, which comprise the physical and the mental facet.

Work Cited

Higgins, Kathleen M, Clancy Martin, and Robert C. Solomon. Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.