The Mind-Body Problem and Dualism
The mind-body problem or the concept of dualism is a philosophical perspective that mind and body are distinct entities, substances or natures. Accordingly, any duelist would oppose any assessment-treating mind with the brain as a physical mechanism. The theorist and philosopher who popularized the problem of mind to body relationship was Rene Descartes in his explanation of modern-day issues. Rene Descartes is a seventeenth-century French Philosopher, metaphysician as well as mathematicians. He gave Dualism its classical algorithm or formulation through which it is approached (Hatfield 01). This paper discusses Rene Descartes regarding his approach to solving the Mind to body problem to derive a conclusion that the mind-body interaction problem can be solved by linking the understandable aspects of human and those aspects not understood, the belief systems' perspective of the incarnation, and metaphysical perspectives of the mind and the body.
Descartes' Formulation of the Mind-Body Problem
In the modern version of mind-body problem formulated by Descartes, the philosopher provides a metaphysical notion that for God's existence, the existence of matter is an extension and that the foundation of the mind is the thought. The first solution or formulation to solve the mind-body problem is his description of the concept of human being. Accordingly, Descartes defines a human being as a unique relationship between the mind and the body. Descartes referred to the fact that the mind identifies only one body to relate to, in a construct defined by many bodies, with which it uniquely feels intimate. It is a person's own body. Descartes then examine how two entities, utterly different such as the thinking being and the corporeal being be so intimate, even as they are acted upon in incommensurate manners, thought against the motion. The problem is: how can an entity controlled by motion, the body and another controlled by feelings, the mind would be so intimate.
Descartes' Conception of Himself
Consequently, Descartes discusses his conception of himself; therefore, rejecting any belief in the slightest degree of doubt about a discovery of Cogito, the concept that "he thinks, therefore "he is," or "he is thinking," "therefore he exists." He further presents that he is a thinking thing, a soul that is very distinct from the body. Additionally, in his book about Mediation with Fist Philosophy (2013), Descartes present the concept of certainty against doubt to prove existence of another being, the idea of certainty that Cogito affords, that whatever construed clearly or distinctly is true and the feeling of doubt is attributed to the existence of another perfect being, God.
The Arbitrariness between the Inner and Outer Sense
Rene then questions the arbitrariness between the inner and the outer sense. Since he could not depict why a curious sensation of pain should result in some distress of the mind, or why a sensation of delight should trigger a tickling sensation. The relativity of these issues extends to a sensational telling one to eat or take a drink because of an empty stomach or a dry throat respectively. The simple answer Descartes came up with was that these are natures taught. He then pointed out that these relations are arbitrary in the same way signs and words in languages are arbitrary relative to things they signify. Not only can this correlation be understood, but also, they are beyond human power to change. With the law of motion, Descartes concluded that causation between body and mind could only be arbitrary, noting that causation between bodies is necessary.
The Independence of Mind and Body
Therefore, the only explanation for the body and mind problem is that in the same way objects have existed without a language to name them sometime in the past is also the same way a body existed without the mind. He persists in the idea that the two entities are independent. According to Rene Descartes, animals have the same sensations as humans. However, they lack minds. The consequence is that there is no self or person present in animals to behold such sensations. Therefore, mind and body are independent entities and the cause and effect communication witnessed is a preprogrammed phenomenon, just in the same way a machine works (Descartes 33).
The Complex Interaction between Mind and Body
The concept of the human being according to Descartes was defined by a complex interaction between body and mind, and since the relationship is arbitrary, science would fail to explain the mind-body relationship. The nature of the chain reactions among particles defining mind and body means that even if the relationship proceeds to infinity, there are no ways of reaching desires and aversions. Specifically, Descartes concluded the problem by suggesting that inasmuch as certain motions of the body might generate some sensations, such as hunger or thirst, this aspect of human corporeal organisms would remain a mystery to scientists. However, scientists rely on the mind to deduce how some of these brain stimuli feel. This notion is perhaps what informs some scholars to present that because of incarnation, dualism exists, and the body and mind are different entities (Bonk 04).
Cartesian Dualism and the Perspective of Sensations
Another attempt to explain the independence of the mind and the body by Descartes takes into consideration a concept he called Cartesian Dualism. Accordingly, sensations go with the body rather than the mind. However, sensations only exist from the perspective of the mind. It presents a complex notion, a sensation and emergent corporeal happenings, which cannot emerge except in a conscious subject, occurs neither for the sake of the mind nor the body's, but uniquely constitute their particular union. Therefore, he concluded that the sensation and resultant corporeal perspectives are as good as nonexistent from a pure corporeal perspective.
The Dream Argument and the Existence of Two Constructs
The solutions presented include the dream argument that defines two different constructs, one understood fully, and the other whose outcome never predicted or understood, wakefulness and dream respectively. The dividing of the human experience into these two constructs speaks to the independent existence of two aspects, body and mind. Descartes bringing God, a sense of perfection into the picture in the meditations refer to explaining the veracity of wakefulness experience. The wakefulness concept is real, only concerning an external world not understood by humans.
Merging Scientific Perspectives with Belief Systems
Resolving the mind-body interaction problem can only occur when scientific perspectives merge with belief in supernatural or a construct only explained by a perfection like what is today termed heaven or Godly. There is evidence that the aspects of the mind in action, such as the unpredicted phenomenon of the mind emerging in a form like a dream is beyond the understanding of science and refer to forces outside the understanding of the humans.
The Lack of Consensus between Science and Belief Systems
It is not practicable, that scientific procedures and belief systems will reach this consensus. Even though some scientists have ventured and altered their belief systems in supernatural power, scientific procedures vary tremendously from belief systems. Descartes also believed that the existence of a doubt sensation speaks to the existence of a superior and perfect being separate from the self. However, there is a general lack of clarity on how the mind plays out the sensations and the role of the scientific understanding of the brain, nervous systems, and the various senses.
Metaphysical Concepts and the Independent Nature of Body and Mind
Even with the chaos, conflicting analogy, and contradictory in solving the body and mind problem, there is a general perspective on metaphysical concepts presented by Descartes and faith that there are aspects of the soul distinct from the body. While Descartes believed that it is a preprogrammed arrangement, some faith or belief systems presents that after this life the soul becomes independent as the body dies, incarnation. This analogy Speaks to the fact that the two, body and mind are independent entities just as presented by Rene Descartes.
The Mind-Body Problem: A Complex Interaction
In conclusion, Rene Descartes introduced a perfection aspect of God through the mind's aspect presented through a sensation of doubt to explain the preference the mind has on the body of the self, relative to some other bodies. However, he rejects the idea that science would ever explain the Mind-Body problem, as they only understand the corporeal aspects of the being through the brain manifestation a sensation of what the mind instructs. Ultimately, the only succinct idea is that the mind and the body interact in a complex construct, where the mind satisfies the needs of the body through sensations as a conduit of interactions. The two are independent, with the mind seemingly superior to the body, the only possible angle to understand and solve the mind-body problem.
Works Cited
Hatfield, Gary. "René Descartes (Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy)". Plato.Stanford.Edu, 2014, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes/. Accessed 12 Dec 2018.
Descartes, René. René Descartes: Meditations on first philosophy: With selections from the objections and replies. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Bonk, Casimir J. Descartes Was Right! Souls Do Exist And Reincarnation Proves It: A Challenge To Rethink Dualism. Trafford Publishing, 2010.
