A challenge to Materialism Essay -- essays research papers

Cartesian Dualism ChallengedIn this paper, I forget examine the issues of individuality and identity in Descartes philosophy of sound judgment-dead body dualism. I will begin by addressing the framework of Cartesian dualism. Then I will examine the problems of individuation and identity as they relate to Descartes. Hopefully, after explaining Descartes reasoning and afterwards offering my response, I can show with some degree of confidence that the issues of individuation and identity offer a challenge to the Cartesians premise of mind-body dualism.Before plunk into a critical examination of these two issues, it would be wise to first discuss the basis of Descartes philosophy. Descartes begins his discussion of mind by first disregarding everything that he can call into doubt. After this mental cleansing, Descartes is left only with the maxim that I cannot doubt that I am doubting. From this conclusion, Descartes states that some entity must be doing this doubting, and claims t hat this entity is his mind. The Cartesian mind has only one property thinking. Consequently, Descartes establishes a distinction between mind and body. The two share no characteristics, as the body does not mollycoddle in thinking, the minds solitary function. Further, mind and body are independent of each other mind can exist correct in the absence of body. At the same time, Descartes does not doubt that the mind begins to think as soon as it is implanted in the body of an infant. Yet the mind does not need the body to engage in introspection, the action of thinking ab divulge thinking. Only introspection is immune from illusion, confusion, or doubt. Information about the human being outside of mind is prone to these hazards. We cannot conclude with certainty that other minds exist. Thus, the Cartesian is left to what I would dub a lonely existence Even if a Cartesian prefers to count that to other human bodies there are harnessed minds not unlike his own, he cannot claim to b e able to disc over their individual characteristics. Absolute seclusion is on this showing the ineluctable destiny of the soul. Only our bodies can meet.Now I will critically examine Descartes mind-body philosophy by addressing the issues of individuation and identity. First, I need to be clear about the issues I am addressing. In order to fully understand the problem of individuation, we nee... ...owed in my earlier example, consider bodies the same. Strawson argues that even if a Cartesian claims to be directly experiencing his mind through introspection and therefore has no need of explaining the identity of his mind, he still cannot rule out the possibility that a thousand different minds may occupy him during the next moment. As with individuation, Strawson and his fellow anti-Cartesians can correctly identify minds in the same expressive style that I identified myself as the same girl I was 9 years ago. Those operating under Descartes philosophy cannot identify the same mi nd over time, and consequently cannot speak coherently (as Strawson puts it) about mind.Using Strawsons analysis of Descartes as a guide, I have attempted to demonstrate how two issuesindividuation and identitythreaten to dismantle Descartes philosophy of mind-body dualism. I have stood behind the anti-Cartesian argument that in order to associate one mind with one bodywhich Strawson claims is a vital principle to both Cartesians and anti-Cartesianswe must think of mind as something dependent on a person and not as something specialise altogether, as Descartes would argue.