Abstract The paper explores the role of Bayle as the Father of the Enlightenment, and attempts to explain the enigma of how such unrelenting scepticism can at all have been the "Arsenal of the Enlightenment". It lays forth the Cartesian debate with its origins in the Baconian method of science and Descartes ontology regarding the certainty of empirical knowledge. It also argues that the hidden rationale of the Cartesian debate, was to justify the Bacon's claim that sense experience is the root to absolute knowledge. This attitude of premeditation led the Cartesians into false arguments, confusion and absurdity. It looks at how in the end Bayle espoused a form of scepticism that was so thoroughly honest that it jolted the Western intellect back to its senses.
From the Paper "Cartesian doubt is the process by which Descartes arrived at the prize of absolute certainty of knowledge. The premise is that one should begin with Pyrrhonian doubt, thereby doubting everything stemming from experience, until one is left with consciousness of thought alone, and this, Descartes argues, cannot be doubted because the very process of doubting is also the process of thinking. "Cogito, ergo sum" was the conclusion of Descartes - I think, therefore I am. This is the one solid certainty left after Cartesian doubt. But then he introduces the false argument that God would not deceive him regarding the universe, and thus it is real, and sense experience is true knowledge of it. From this argument emerges the concept of mind and body duality. Thought is taking place in the mind, and this has no material substance or spatial extension. On the other hand the body does have substance and extension, along with everything else in the universe. "
Abstract This paper examines the argument and describes the historical background to Cartesian doubt. It describes Descartes proposal of a method of doubt that, logically carried through, led to absolute certainty in empirical knowledge. It then describes the influence that his claims had on the educated community. The paper goes on to explain how Cartesian doubt was a flawed argument from the beginning and how its faults began to appear.
From the Paper "In the year 1637, through his publication of Le Discours de la Methode (Discourse on Method), Descartes was supposed to have refuted at last the age-old problem of empirical scepticism. At the time of its publication the argument was a resounding success, and seemed to have removed the key obstacle that lay in the way of the progress of science. Fortified by a philosophy of empirical certitude, the enthusiasm for experimentation and science gained a staggering boost, and a direct consequence was the Age of Enlightenment. Only after the demise of the Enlightenment did the flaws in Descartes' argument begin to appear prominent. But by this time the determinist agenda had succeeded and the scientific method had established itself as the backbone to European civilisation."
Abstract This paper discusses the Cartesian mind-body dilemma by analyzing Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy". The paper explains that Cartesian dualism intended to moderate between the established religious paradigm of the time and the emerging natural sciences and by positing mind and body as complete substances which refer to nothing but themselves. The paper also looks at how Descartes' theory of mind preserves the religious conception of man as an immortal soul in possession of free will by placing such outside the realm of the physical sciences. The paper points out that Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy" seeks to establish two distinct classes of substances in mind and extension, but fails to adequately address the manner in which these two incommensurable substances interact to generate our experience of the world. The writer suggests that Descartes conceives of the body as a 'kingdom within a kingdom' of mind, and is left with the problem of how these kingdoms are able to carry out diplomatic relations with one another.
From the Paper "The cogito, 'I think therefore I am', delimits mind as the substance of thought, the primary existential of being. This is arrived at by proposing that there could be a malicious demon of some sort that may be propagating a vast illusion of experience, generating even our thoughts. Even in this radical scepticism, however, Descartes concludes that there must be something that this hoax is played upon, and no matter what this demon may be able to do, he can never convince something that it is nothing; "...I must finally conclude that this proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind" . The cogito, therefore, shows mind to be a substance that is necessarily true without reference to any other substance. It is the essence to which all the modes of thought refer."
Abstract This three-page undergraduate paper discusses Cartesian rationalism, explains what is rationalistic about Descartes' thinking, and reflects upon what Descartes hoped to achieve through philosophical reflection.
Abstract This essay explores Cartesian aesthetics as they relate to mind and body. The author traces the history of how the mind and body relationship is treated by the authors Eric Cassell and David Morris, particularly as it relates to Cartesian aesthetics. This is a critical, argumentative essay.
From the Paper "The design of this essay is to explore the positions of Eric Cassel and David Morris on the issue of pain and suffering. First, each author is in turn examine in general, after which attention is turned to specific issues they in tandem address, which include the definition of pain and the interconnectedness of pain and suffering to an entire human being. What will be revealed is how both authors reject both the contemporary definition of pain and the Cartesian dualism that is associated with the differentiation between mind and body."
Abstract In this paper the author examines the very basis of Cartesian philosophy;what can we really know? He expresses his opinions of Cartesian philosophy and in some cases denounces it by stating that human beings experience the world not as it "actually is" but rather only as a version of their own interpretation. The author concludes with his own arguments supporting his personal opinion that human beings cannot truly experience the world as it is.
From the Paper "One sense can even fool other senses into misinterpreting what they should be telling the mind. For example, if you are sitting in a stationary car next to stationary train, it is common to get the sensation that your car is rolling backwards only to discover that the train has begun to move forward. When this happens, the momentary misinterpretation of reality is not simply a visual one. You will actually feel your entire body moving backwards up until the moment you realize that it was only the train."
Tags: truth, philospphy, mind, body, sensory, reality, truths, union
Abstract The paper examines "Remediation" by David Bolter and Richard Grusin, which looks at the changing relationships between people and the media. The paper concentrates on the chapter "The Virtual Self", which deals with the way human identities are transformed by their interactions with virtual technologies. The paper discusses Cartesian philosophy and shows how the concept of the virtual self totally disproves the Cartesian beliefs. The paper provides examples of virtual selves in contemporary media.
From the Paper "A major section of this chapter(pages 248-254) deals with the ways in which the mind and the body interact with virtual environments. These arguments look at Cartesian and anti-Cartesian elements of the virtual self.
"In order to understand these arguments it is first necessary to have an understanding of Cartesian philosophy. Basically Cartesian philosophy is based on the work of Rene Descartes. Descartes basically sees the mind and body as separate entities."
Tags:Cartesian, philosophy, Descartes, human, identities, technology, media
Abstract This paper is an in-depth academic examination of the philosophy of dualism. It defines dualism and describes the important arguments in support of it through the concepts of Descartes, Chalmer and Jackson. The paper debates the existence of qualia. The author presents a decisive argument against dualism and in support of physicalism.
Table of Contents:
What is Dualism?
A Cartesian Argument for Dualism
Jackson's Knowledge Argument for Dualism
Chalmers? Zombie Argument for Dualism
Arguing against Dualism: Why it is a False Theory of the Mind
References
From the Paper "Dualism is a philosophical theory about the fundamental nature of reality. Perhaps the most important and best known proponent of the view was Descartes who described it as follows: ?Thought and extension can be regarded as constituting the natures of intelligent substance and corporal substance; they must then be considered as nothing else but thinking substance itself and extended substance itself that is, as mind and body.? [CSM I p. 215]. Influenced by Descartes characterization, contemporary philosophers take Dualism to be the conjunction of the following two theses:
(1) There are mental properties and there are physical properties.
(2) Neither kind of property can be reduced to the other. "
Abstract This paper concerns the philosophy of the mind and attempts to answer the question of whether dualism provides an acceptable account of the mind. In doing so, the fundamental arguments and problems associated with dualism are discussed and analyzed. This paper assesses the plausibility of a number of different forms of dualism such as Descarte's cartesian dualism, property dualism and epiphenomenalism.
From the Paper "For centuries, philosophers have debated the ontological problem of the mind. Through introspection, we know that we, and believe others possess a conscious intelligence that has the ability to register emotions, interpret sensations and perform reason. But where do such abilities originate? In what medium do they take place and how is it that our mental phenomena such as desires and beliefs seem to be able to causally act on the physical world? Dualism is just one of many theories that have sought to find answers to such intriguing questions. Unlike materialist theories that optimistically asserts that all mental phenomena can eventually be explained through physics and neurological science, dualists argue that mental phenomena is so far removed from anything physical that it requires the existence of a non-physical entity or property. Since, as yet science is unable to fully explain all mental phenomena such as consciousness, perhaps dualism is a plausible alternative. Is any form of dualism plausible?"
Abstract Dualism is the theory that the mind and the body (mind and matter) are two distinct things. This paper examines the theory as set forth by philosopher Rene Descartes in his work "Meditations on First Philosophy" in which he discusses what has come to be called the Cartesian dualism - that the mind and body are separate and that the mind is incorporeal.
From the Paper "Inherent in Descartes's argument is the mind-body problem and the need to understand what is the mind and what is the body as well as how they are connected and related. The mind is our awareness, the one thing that we can know is real. It is the site of rational thought. It is subject to the senses in that it acquires information through the senses, but it is not a sense in itself. Descartes says he had no doubts as to the nature of "body," though now he has had to reconsider this position given that he realizes all the elements of the body are known to him only through the senses that he does not trust any longer. He says if he had been asked to explain the nature of the body, he would have explained that it was whatever could be determined by a certain shape, and comprised in a certain location, whatever fills a certain space so as to exclude from it every other body, whatever can be apprehended by the senses, and whatever can be moved in certain ways. In truth, he is identifying the body through various characteristics perceived by the senses and in no way identifying the body itself. The mind is his awareness and his reality, but the body may be an illusion sent to deceive him. Here he shows an intuitive understanding of duality, for the mind is trusted for what it develops through reason even as the senses are linked with the physical body that is in effect fooling the mind."
Abstract Rene Descartes, in his Meditations on First Philosophy, addresses a wide variety of questions, from nature of the self and perception, to the demonstration of the existence of the world and of God. However, his argument in these Meditations begins at a point of radical scepticism concerning the existence of the universe and the nature of reality. Central to this argument is the idea of Cartesian dualism, or the separation of rational intellect from the body and the senses. In this context, this paper will argue, through a examination of various facets of Descartes' argument, that in the final analysis Meditations on First Philosophy retains a measure of this scepticism in its refusal to accept the position that knowledge may be acquired by the senses. 4 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Abstract This paper describes the epistemological and ontological characteristics of Cartesian dualism. It gives a detailed outline of Descartes's view of the mind/body relationship and explains why the contemporary view of the mind/body relationship is strikingly different from what Descartes's interactionist dualism suggests. The paper begins with Descartes's statements in his "Meditations" and expresses the problems that he faced afterwards.
From the Paper "Substance dualism holds that reality consists of two disparate parts - mental and physical - which are deeply different in kind. Descartes' mind/matter distinction, most accurately called the Cartesian interactionist dualism, is a particular kind of substance dualism in which the "mental" mind and the "physical" body can causally interact. Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician and psychologist, who is often considered to be the founder of the modern discipline of philosophy. He lays down the foundations of his interactionist dualist theory in his "Meditations on First Philosophy"."
Abstract This paper studies varying representations of evil as posed by Socrates and Augustine. It revisit each of the explanations, ultimately building upon them and presenting the explanation of evil that is given by Rene Descartes. The essay first revisits the arguments laid out by Descartes' predecessors and then shows how Descartes views error and evil, insomuch as he argues that the will is perfect and that the intellect is not.
From the Paper "The Cartesian View of Error and Evil In the previous two papers discussing concepts from this course and from the classic tomes and thoughts of philosophy, we have studied varying representations of evil as posed by Socrates and Augustine. Socrates argued for "unintentional ignorance" as a proper explanation of evil, while Augustine argued that evil and wrongdoing come about because of a misuse of the will."
Abstract This paper examines how Benedict De Spinoza, in his "Ethics", delimits the concept of parallelism as a means to overcome the Cartesian mind-body dilemma. Building his metaphysical interpretation upon the idea that there exists one single substance, Spinoza proceeds to prove through his propositions that this one substance must necessarily exist. The paper points out that this substance is perceivable through its attributes, which appear to be distinct from one another, though in actuality are different aspects of the same substance. The paper focuses on two of the attributes, thought and extension, which correspond to the mind and body. The paper concludes that Spinoza's parallelism seeks to solve the mind-body dilemma by positing that these two distinct attributes are of a single substance.
From the Paper "Modes are the way in which the attributes of the one, infinite substance manifests its essence; in other words, everything we know is a mode of the eternal substance manifesting in itself. An important aspect of this conceptualization is that not only the entirety of the physical universe exists as a mode, but also all thoughts, ideas and events. Spinoza's definition states that "[b]y mode I understand the affectations of a substance, or that which is in another through which it is also conceived". Existence is possessed only by substance, thus substance is in itself, while modes are in substance. Likewise, the essence of a thing belongs to the substance, not its modes, thus the mutable qualities of things are not the totality of their being. Descartes' wax analogy would be explained by pointing out that all of its observational qualities may change, yet its essence as wax would persist because that essence lies in the substance of which the wax is a mode. As Spinoza clarifies, "[p]articular things are nothing but affectations of God's attributes, or modes by which God's attributes are expressed in a certain and determinate way"."
Abstract This paper discusses Baruch Spinoza's concept of parallelism, which seeks to overcome the Cartesian mind-body dilemma essential to Renee Descartes' model. In particular, the paper examines Spinoza's idea of substance, and those attributes and modes, which follow it in order to offer greater insight into Spinoza's concept of parallelism. The paper relates that Spinoza used his notion of parallelism to describe how to understand the way the universal substance explicates itself in all things.
From the Paper "In order to understand Spinoza's concept of parallelism, it is first necessary to examine his idea of substance, and those attributes and modes, which follow it. Substance, which Spinoza utilizes interchangeably with God when it "consist[s] of infinite attributes", is defined as "what is in itself and is conceived through itself; that is, that the conception of which does not require the conception of another thing from which it has to be formed" (31). Substance is that which relies upon nothing outside itself for its conception or existence."
Tags: body mind pantheism, Cartesian mind-body dilemma, proposition
