Rene Descartes Substance Dualism
The Conception of Substance Dualism
Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher, created the idea of Substance dualism. Descartes states that the mind and the body are two separate entities that possess different characteristics. The mind, a theoretical substance, cannot be viewed in space as a material substance using tradition measuments such as height or weight. Because of this, only the physical body can be extended, not the mind, separating the two into the theory of substance dualism.
Throughout the many Meditations, multiple concepts are introduced in order to prove this seemingly complex notion. A principle that Descartes often employed and of great interest to me is that nothing can come from nothing and provides an excellent basis for the many ideas surrounding substance dualism. Descartes concluded that because no perfect idea can be created by something imperfect, the idea that an indefinitely perfect God exists must have been place in us by a perfect God. …show more content…
Cartesian theory essentially proves each sub-idea until the main idea is reached. By using a step-by-step methodology for proving God’s existence and substance dualism, it is very difficult to find a flaw in his theories. Because nonexistence is an imperfection, God must exist because he has placed a perfect thought of him into us. This is Descartes first reasoning as to why God exists. Next Descartes says that because deception is an imperfection, God cannot be a deceiver, loosely disproving doubt of objects and surroundings. Descartes reasoning for separating mind and body is as follows. He states that because I have a clear and distinct conception of myself as a thinking thing without extension, the mind cannot exist in space. Because he also recognizes the body however as having extension, It cannot be a
Rene Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher, created the idea of Substance dualism. Descartes states that the mind and the body are two separate entities that possess different characteristics. The mind, a theoretical substance, cannot be viewed in space as a material substance using tradition measuments such as height or weight. Because of this, only the physical body can be extended, not the mind, separating the two into the theory of substance dualism.
Throughout the many Meditations, multiple concepts are introduced in order to prove this seemingly complex notion. A principle that Descartes often employed and of great interest to me is that nothing can come from nothing and provides an excellent basis for the many ideas surrounding substance dualism. Descartes concluded that because no perfect idea can be created by something imperfect, the idea that an indefinitely perfect God exists must have been place in us by a perfect God. …show more content…
Cartesian theory essentially proves each sub-idea until the main idea is reached. By using a step-by-step methodology for proving God’s existence and substance dualism, it is very difficult to find a flaw in his theories. Because nonexistence is an imperfection, God must exist because he has placed a perfect thought of him into us. This is Descartes first reasoning as to why God exists. Next Descartes says that because deception is an imperfection, God cannot be a deceiver, loosely disproving doubt of objects and surroundings. Descartes reasoning for separating mind and body is as follows. He states that because I have a clear and distinct conception of myself as a thinking thing without extension, the mind cannot exist in space. Because he also recognizes the body however as having extension, It cannot be a