Throughout history, philosophers have been setting up plenty of theories to determine if the mind and the body are one. Substance dualism is one of those theories. Specifically, Descartes is a dualist who brings up the indivisibility argument about the mind that has been trusted until science is well developed. Even though Descartes’ argument is well-accepted, it is not strongly supported by factual evidence, and it is easily defeated by a simple question, which is how the mind and the body interact if they are distinctly separate.
Substance dualism is a theory that claims that the mind and the body are not the same one because they are made up from different substances. The body is a physical thing. It has size, shape, and a lot of other properties. …show more content…
However, additionally, it is vulnerable. The opposing argument towards Descartes’ theory can easily be built by a simple question that is how the mind and the body react. That Descartes does not have an answer for that question is the weakness of his argument. He does not pay attention to what makes up a mind. The mind cannot just be there and has no foundations. What causes the mind to be existed? The mind and the body belong to the same person, so they have to at least have some relations so that that person can function properly. If the mind and the body are not relatable, then how the body can express what the mind is experiencing. The opposing argument can be outlined as follow:
P1. If the mind and the body are two separate things, they do not interact.
P2. They, actually, interact.
C. They are not two separate things.
To conclude, the argument of Descartes based on the indivisibility of the mind is not factually valid even though it has been well-known in supported for a long time in the past. Nowadays, the improvement of modern technology can simply prove his argument wrong. However, nobody can be judgmental about the validity of his argument because he is a knowledgeable philosopher at his own time. Any contribution to philosophy should be taken with seriousness and
Substance dualism is a theory that claims that the mind and the body are not the same one because they are made up from different substances. The body is a physical thing. It has size, shape, and a lot of other properties. …show more content…
However, additionally, it is vulnerable. The opposing argument towards Descartes’ theory can easily be built by a simple question that is how the mind and the body react. That Descartes does not have an answer for that question is the weakness of his argument. He does not pay attention to what makes up a mind. The mind cannot just be there and has no foundations. What causes the mind to be existed? The mind and the body belong to the same person, so they have to at least have some relations so that that person can function properly. If the mind and the body are not relatable, then how the body can express what the mind is experiencing. The opposing argument can be outlined as follow:
P1. If the mind and the body are two separate things, they do not interact.
P2. They, actually, interact.
C. They are not two separate things.
To conclude, the argument of Descartes based on the indivisibility of the mind is not factually valid even though it has been well-known in supported for a long time in the past. Nowadays, the improvement of modern technology can simply prove his argument wrong. However, nobody can be judgmental about the validity of his argument because he is a knowledgeable philosopher at his own time. Any contribution to philosophy should be taken with seriousness and