Descartes Version Of Substance Dualism
Reagan Schuller
Substance dualism is the concept that there are two different substances; mind, or mental substance, and body, or physical substance. Descartes's states that the mind does not depend on the body in order to exist and are entirely distinct from each other. Descartes's version of dualism gives a rise to the interaction problem because it opens the door to the question of “How can the mind control the body if the mind is not physical?” In other words, can mental events explain the causation of physical events even though they are two separate substances. There will always be the problem of trying to explain “how your mind affects your body and how your body affects your mind” (Descartes 329.) A modern day response to substance
dualism is the idea of identity theory. Identity theory is the assertion that a mental states and processes are identical and interchangeable with brain states and processes. Mental events are sorted into groups, which are then correlated with the same groups of physical events in the brain. Identity theory discards dualism because it does not deny the mind or the body, but rather claims that mental and physical substances are in fact one; therefore mental properties are physical properties. Thomas Nagel argues “that it is consciousness, or what he calls “subjectivity” that makes the problem so intractable”. Nagel conducted an experiment, What is it like to be a bat?, in which he argues that experiences can only be known from a subjective perspective. Although we know all the components and facts about bats, we will never know what it is actually like to be a bat. We can imagine their lifestyle and habits, but nothing will come close to the actual experience. According to Nagel, “our own mental activity is the only unquestionable fact of our experience”, meaning that each human only has the consciousness to knows what it is like to be them.
Substance dualism is the concept that there are two different substances; mind, or mental substance, and body, or physical substance. Descartes's states that the mind does not depend on the body in order to exist and are entirely distinct from each other. Descartes's version of dualism gives a rise to the interaction problem because it opens the door to the question of “How can the mind control the body if the mind is not physical?” In other words, can mental events explain the causation of physical events even though they are two separate substances. There will always be the problem of trying to explain “how your mind affects your body and how your body affects your mind” (Descartes 329.) A modern day response to substance
dualism is the idea of identity theory. Identity theory is the assertion that a mental states and processes are identical and interchangeable with brain states and processes. Mental events are sorted into groups, which are then correlated with the same groups of physical events in the brain. Identity theory discards dualism because it does not deny the mind or the body, but rather claims that mental and physical substances are in fact one; therefore mental properties are physical properties. Thomas Nagel argues “that it is consciousness, or what he calls “subjectivity” that makes the problem so intractable”. Nagel conducted an experiment, What is it like to be a bat?, in which he argues that experiences can only be known from a subjective perspective. Although we know all the components and facts about bats, we will never know what it is actually like to be a bat. We can imagine their lifestyle and habits, but nothing will come close to the actual experience. According to Nagel, “our own mental activity is the only unquestionable fact of our experience”, meaning that each human only has the consciousness to knows what it is like to be them.