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Can Substance Dualism Be Defended

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Can Substance Dualism Be Defended
Can Substance Dualism Be Defended?

Substance dualism is a never ending argument in the Philosophy world as it’s been going on for decades. It is the view that the universe contains two important types of entity which is mental and material. The structure of this paper is that four main argument leads to one conclusion. Firstly, I’ll argue about Descartes’s ‘separability argument’ which stands as the definition of Substance Dualism. Secondly, I’ll argue that mental and physical have different and perhaps irreconcilable properties. An argument is not complete without a counter argument which in this case the “pairing” problem that exists in Descartes theory is highlighted and where is the interaction of material and immaterial takes place in our body is argued. Finally, the reply for the counter argument comes in a form of defense and positive argument in favors substance dualism and the weakness with the objection. In Descartes Sixth Meditation, Descartes argues the fact that something is clearly possible to separate from something else, they can definitely exist individually (Walker, 1870). In simple term, something that exists individual is a distinctive entity. Therefore, as the mind and the body can be clearly conceived apart from one another, the mind and the body are indeed distinct from each other. That’s not the only argument in The Sixth Meditation. The conclusion of Descartes’s argument is that the mind is really distinct from the body, and can exist without it. Mind and body are undeniably a substance as mind is really distinct from body. As an example, if A and B are numerically distinct substances, definitely they can exist without each other. Since this possibility of separate existence, it is both a consequence and a sign of real distinction. Therefore, not only that mind and body are numerically distinct, but that they are numerically distinct substances. Besides that, the fact that A and B are clearly and distinctly conceive one thing apart



References: Chalmer, D., (1996). The Conscious Mind. In search of a Fundamental Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hartfield, G., (2002). Philosophy Guidebook to Descartes and The meditation. Routledge Philosophy Guidebook. New york, NY: Routledge. Kim, J. (2005). Physicalism, or something near enough. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Mills, E. (1996). Interactionism and Overdetermination. American Philosophical Quarterly, 33, 105-17. Nagel, T., (1974). What Is Like To Be a Bat. Philosophical Review 83, 435-50. Robinson, H., (2009). Dualism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2009/entries/dualism/>. Stuart, M., (1999). Descartes Extended Substance. New Essay on the Rationalists. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Walker, W. R. (1870). Descartes Meditations. The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 4 (4), 304-320.

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