The Six Meditations by Descartes offer valuable insight into the differences between the mind and the body. Through his discussion he demonstrates to us that the mind and body are two distinct things that could potentially exist without one another. The dialogue Monday Night puts many of the claims made by Descartes through many tests. They question many of the ideas that Descartes presents, and both explain and shoot down his ideas. The ideas demonstrated in the Meditations are confusing and absurd and don’t prove a distinction between the mind and body. We will begin by analyzing the Meditations by Descartes that he makes and what they mean. We will look at the many of the themes that are present in his meditations. We will then move onto looking at the dialogue between Ponens, Nous, and Tollens. We will express their objections to the Meditations. Finally we will conclude with the argument that is most convincing.
Descartes has many reasons why there is a distinction between the mind and body. The idea of mind-body dualism was an idea that stemmed from his philosophy. The mind is concealed inside of our bodies and works with the body, through the sense that it processes our feelings and thought. The body is extended from our mind, into the external, physical world. The natural, external world controls our body; It tells us when we are hungry and when we feel pain. The mind contains our imagination and senses, which connect us to our body. Our body connects to our mind in a very “small part of the brain, namely, by that part where the “common” sense is said to reside” (Med. VI, 86). This is the only physical connection that Descartes mentions between the mind and the body; the connection between them is very miniscule. Other connections to the mind are very discrete and insignificant. Our senses, imagination, and intellect are another one of the body’s connections to the mind, or are they? Imagination is connected to our body and allows our minds to picture physical things. Outside of our bodies and in the natural world things are sensed and allow our intellect to interpret them. Our minds make purpose of the things outside our bodies through intellect. Imagination allows for things to be impossible. Descartes uses the example of a thousand sided figure, which is impossible to imagine, it is beyond our comprehension. However, our intellect uses reasoning and science and allows us to know that this figure can potentially exist. Our intellect defeats imagination and becomes our primary tool for processing observations made about the natural world through senses. Intellect allows our body to know where it is and that it exists. However our imagination and intellect can only truly exist in our mind if the mind is a single part. While our body is divisible and can be divided into many parts; our mind is incapable of being divided; They are indivisible. When it functions it functions as a whole and all the processes work together. Unlike the mind the body is divisible and functions in different pieces that work together. “ I might regard a man’s body as …show more content…
“ It is said by people whole leg or arm had been amputated that it seemed to them that they still occasionally sensed pain in the very limb” (Med VI, 77). Descartes explains this phenomenon by saying that the feelings they think they are feeling, they had felt at one time before when they had the limb. Everything that their mind was telling them they were feeling, were feelings from memory. These are feelings not derived from our senses, but from memories deep inside our minds.
In the Monday Night dialogue many points are raised that conflict and contest the ideas raised by Descartes. The dialogue begins by connecting the word soul with the word mind and making them the same thing. Ponens states how the mind is what makes us who we are and that everything we were (our memories) are also stored within our minds. They also decide that like the soul, the mind can also be eternal, “ perhaps an eternal mind”
Descartes has many reasons why there is a distinction between the mind and body. The idea of mind-body dualism was an idea that stemmed from his philosophy. The mind is concealed inside of our bodies and works with the body, through the sense that it processes our feelings and thought. The body is extended from our mind, into the external, physical world. The natural, external world controls our body; It tells us when we are hungry and when we feel pain. The mind contains our imagination and senses, which connect us to our body. Our body connects to our mind in a very “small part of the brain, namely, by that part where the “common” sense is said to reside” (Med. VI, 86). This is the only physical connection that Descartes mentions between the mind and the body; the connection between them is very miniscule. Other connections to the mind are very discrete and insignificant. Our senses, imagination, and intellect are another one of the body’s connections to the mind, or are they? Imagination is connected to our body and allows our minds to picture physical things. Outside of our bodies and in the natural world things are sensed and allow our intellect to interpret them. Our minds make purpose of the things outside our bodies through intellect. Imagination allows for things to be impossible. Descartes uses the example of a thousand sided figure, which is impossible to imagine, it is beyond our comprehension. However, our intellect uses reasoning and science and allows us to know that this figure can potentially exist. Our intellect defeats imagination and becomes our primary tool for processing observations made about the natural world through senses. Intellect allows our body to know where it is and that it exists. However our imagination and intellect can only truly exist in our mind if the mind is a single part. While our body is divisible and can be divided into many parts; our mind is incapable of being divided; They are indivisible. When it functions it functions as a whole and all the processes work together. Unlike the mind the body is divisible and functions in different pieces that work together. “ I might regard a man’s body as …show more content…
“ It is said by people whole leg or arm had been amputated that it seemed to them that they still occasionally sensed pain in the very limb” (Med VI, 77). Descartes explains this phenomenon by saying that the feelings they think they are feeling, they had felt at one time before when they had the limb. Everything that their mind was telling them they were feeling, were feelings from memory. These are feelings not derived from our senses, but from memories deep inside our minds.
In the Monday Night dialogue many points are raised that conflict and contest the ideas raised by Descartes. The dialogue begins by connecting the word soul with the word mind and making them the same thing. Ponens states how the mind is what makes us who we are and that everything we were (our memories) are also stored within our minds. They also decide that like the soul, the mind can also be eternal, “ perhaps an eternal mind”