Name : Charmaine Chee Hui Xuan UB ID : 50436192 SIM ID : 10231152 Final Essay Cartesian Dualism, which was popularized by philosopher René Descartes states that the mind and body are two separate and different entities. According to Descartes, the body is an extended, non-thinking object, whereas the mind is a thinking, nonextended thing. Consequently, it is feasible for one to exist without the other. I agree that the mind and body are separate and distinct substances and it is possible for one to exist without the other. However, i find it pointless for one to exist without the other as both structures work together for a substance to function. For instance, a robot. The ‘mind’ of a robot would be the control system while the ‘body’ of the robot would be the various metal components. In order for it to function, both control system and body of the robot have to be present for it to operate. Despite Descartes’ arguments, the famous mind-body problem posed a challenge to his theory. The problem of interaction is a direct rejection of Cartesian Dualism. It questions whether the mind and body which obey opposite laws and have contradictory properties, can interact in a practical, causally relatable manner. Physical substances require mechanics interaction which includes extension, location and divisibility. However, nonphysical substances interact with physical substances and cause events via non-mechanistic pathways. It does not possess the characteristics required to interact with the physical, making it impossible for interaction. Thus, Cartesian Dualism cannot account for causality and must be false. Gassendi, a french philosopher is known for his disputes with Descartes. Gassendi refuted Descartes’ claim regarding the interaction of both substances, as he was troubled by the “mind to body causation”. To Gassendi, there must be contact between two objects for one to move the other. For example, a cue ball must be in motion and touch the eight-ball for it to move. However, that is not the case for voluntary bodily motion. Take the decision to raise your hand in class, for instance. While moving one's hand indicates the extended body, the hand motion indicates the non-extended mind. Because the mind isn't extended in this situation, contact between the body and mind isn't possible. The mind does not have a surface that can touch the body and cause it to move. This problem undermines Descartes’ claim of the mind and body being two distinct substances. If the mind must have a surface and a capacity for motion, it must be extended. Therefore in Gassendi’s view, the mind and body are not completely different which refutes Descartes’ claim. Descartes responded to Gassendi’s argument by claiming that this problem exist due to the false and unproven assumption that the mind and body are two substances whose nature is different and cannot act on each other. Due to endless counterarguments, another perspective that can be examined is materialism which opposes dualism, the idea that all things causally significant to the human are physical. In my opinion, no philosopher is right or wrong and neither there is a proper solution to the mind-body issue. It all depends on the evidence and justification one can provide for their own argument. Until today, philosophers are still exploring this matter with new explanations and perspectives along with more academia and philosophical considerations. References Gaschen, P. D. (2018). Cartesian Dualism and the Problem of Interaction (thesis). Texas Digital Library, Waco, Texas. https://baylorir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2104/10226/Gaschen_Thesis.pdf?sequence=2#:~:t ext=Based%20on%20this%20mechanistic%20understanding,and%20it%20m ust%20be%20false René Descartes: The Mind-Body Distinction. Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. (n.d.). https://iep.utm.edu/rene-descartes-mind-body-distinction-dualism/#H4
