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Descartes’ Interactionist Dualism

Descartes’ Interactionist Dualism. Overview. Descartes’ general project Argument for dualism Explanation of mind/body interaction. Descartes’ General Project. To secure a firm, certain foundation for the sciences To prove the existence and goodness of God

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Descartes’ Interactionist Dualism

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  1. Descartes’ Interactionist Dualism

  2. Overview • Descartes’ general project • Argument for dualism • Explanation of mind/body interaction

  3. Descartes’ General Project • To secure a firm, certain foundation for the sciences • To prove the existence and goodness of God • To show how the soul could be immortal

  4. The Argument for Dualism • I have a mind. • My mind is not my body. • I have a body. • Therefore, I have both a mind and a body, which are distinct from one another.

  5. Argument for Having a Mind • Descartes considers what it is possible for him to doubt, and concludes that it is impossible for him to doubt that he thinks. • He cannot doubt that he thinks because, in doubting, he is thinking. It is not possible for him to think “I am thinking” without being right. • So, he concludes he is a “thinking thing,” i.e., a mind.

  6. Argument for the Existence of Bodies • It seems to me that there are bodies, and that I have one. • God is too good to allow me to be deceived about something so fundamental and important. • Therefore, there are bodies, and I have one.

  7. The Mind is not the Body • If the essence of a kind of thing x is y, then there could be no x without y. (premise) • The essence of body is to occupy space. (premise) • For any kind of thing x, if I can imagine an x that lacks some property, God can make an x without that property. (premise) • I can imagine a mind that does not occupy space. (premise) • Therefore, God can make a mind that does not occupy space. (from 3, 4) • Therefore, the essence of mind is not to occupy space. (from 1, 5) • Therefore, the mind is not the body. (from 2, 6)

  8. Interaction • If the mind and body are distinct, we need an explanation of how mental and physical events can cause one another. • Descartes tells a story about the mind and the body “communicating” through the pineal gland. • What problems with this story might there be?

  9. Review • Descartes wants to prove dualism because it allows for the immortality of the soul. • The argument for dualism turns on a perceived difference in the essences of mind and body. • Descartes probably does not solve the problem of interaction.

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