Descartes’ Argument
Descartes’ view is that we can be certain there is a soul but it is not possible to
ascertain whether there is a body. His main contribution was ‘cogito ergo sum’
meaning ‘I think therefore I am’. He states that because he can think, he knows
that he has to be a “thinking thing” but he doesn’t know if he has a vessel or a
body. Therefore, he says that everyone can say they have a soul but nobody can
know whether we have a body. His argument is:
P1- If the mind is identical to the brain, we should not be able to imagine them as
working independently of each other.
P2- But we can.
C: Therefore, they are not identical.
The argument means that because the mind and brain are different then the soul
and body are separate from each other – the mind is our thoughts (our soul) and
the brain is the “vessel” they are contained in (our body).
In my opinion, Descartes’ argument isn’t completely correct. I believe that we
have both a soul and a body because if there is a soul, it must have a purpose like
everything in this world. In this case, the purpose of the soul is to control a vessel
which is the body. Therefore, I must disagree with Descartes as though I do agree
with the fact there is a soul, I also believe there must be a body; what else could
possibly be me, the thing people see cannot be a soul it must be a living thing
which is the body of a human being.