Rene Descartes' History of Ideas: Meditations on Mind-Body Dualism

This essay delves into the life, achievements, and core beliefs of Rene Descartes, particularly focusing on his 'Meditations on First Philosophy.' It explores Descartes' views on the immortality of the soul and the existence of God, emphasizing the importance of his philosophical contributions to the modern world. The essay discusses Descartes' differentiation between intellect and imagination, his concepts of skepticism and dualism, and the crucial distinction between mind and body. It highlights the statement 'Cogito ergo sum' ('I think, therefore I exist') as central to understanding Descartes' perspective on human existence and the power of thinking. Furthermore, the essay addresses Descartes' views on emotion and sensation, contrasting them with intellect and will, and concludes by reiterating the significance of mind-body dualism in Descartes' philosophical framework.

Running head: HISTORY OF IDEAS
History of Ideas
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HISTORY OF IDEAS
The overall purpose of this short essay is to focus on the life and achievements of Rene
Descartes and his beliefs. Various beliefs of the philosopher and his philosophy have been very
important in this modern day world. In his Meditations of First Philosophy, Descartes has
discussed on the immortality of the soul and the existence of the God (Askaphilosopher.org,
2013). Various aspects of this philosophy and its implications on the minds of the people will be
discussed in this paper.
While discussing on the Meditations of First Philosophy, the overall philosophy and life
of Rene Descartes must be mentioned (Carriero: 19). In his views of philosophy, Descartes has
gone on to discuss about the importance about the existence of God. This book was first
published in the year 1641 in the Latin language. In this book, there are generally six parts of
meditations. At the very beginning of this paper, all the beliefs in the things have been
completely discarded that are uncertain in this world (Askaphilosopher.org, 2013). Various
meditations have been discussed in this paper and the the concept of doubt in the things has been
expressed.
The concepts of the imagination and intellect have also been discussed by Descartes
also. In the book, Descartes has made differences between the intellect and imagination in
various ways. Therefore, it is very much certain that these two concepts have some basic
differences. According to Descartes, imagination of the human mind is completely sensory and it
will deal with the concrete ideas (Askaphilosopher.org, 2013). On the other hand, intellection is
about knowledge and it has to deal with all sorts of the abstract ideas. In his book, Descartes has
stressed on the idea that it is intellect only i.e. needed to exist in this world. The concepts of
skepticism and dualism are also very crucial exponents of what Descartes had said. Therefore, it
will be very crucial to note the fact that the dualism occurs regarding the dual existence of the

2HISTORY OF IDEAS
body and the mind. Both body and mind are very important things that should be needed to
address the issues (Yaldir: 250).
The distinction between the mind and body is a very crucial aspect of the theoretical
beliefs that Descartes has shown in his writings. The process of thinking, according to Descartes,
is a sign that the person actually exists. This process helps all the human beings to realize how
they exist through the power of their thinking. The body is an extended entity and it is
completely a non-thinking thing. This is why it will be very immediate to think about the fact
that the mond-body dualism had taken the ideas o Descartes to a whole new level. The statement
“Cogito ergo sum” or “I think therefore I exist” clarifies the issue that the existence of the human
beings will only be clear when he will acquire the potential of thinking properly and connect his
thoughts with all his activities. The term ‘real distinction’ sums up the whole thing because this
difference is indeed the most impactful criteria behind the interpretation of dualism.
On his writings about meditations, Descartes has also discussed on the issues like
emotion and sensation. It is quite clear from the writings of Descartes that the imagination,
emotion and sensation are quite opposite to the facts that have been fitted into the dualistic
framework of Descartes. The concepts of the sensation, imagination and emotion will need the
human body to function properly (Descartes: 15). Therefore, Descartes puts it in the way that the
Gods and Angels will not be able to have these things because they are immaterial. Gods and
Angels will only have the will and intellect. This shows they are the parts of the mind
completely. It must be said in this context that the things like intellect or emotion cannot be
understood (Cunning: 27). In his views, it has also been said that the animals also have the
various types of emotions and sensations. It was the overall realization of Descartes that the body

3HISTORY OF IDEAS
and mind dualism is one of the most intriguing factors behind measuring the existence of the
human beings (Descartes: 15).
The conclusion of this short essay can be drawn by saying that the Descartes has put the
ultimate focus on the importance of the mind and body dualism in his Meditations of First
Philosophy. The understanding of the emotion, sensation and other factors are indeed very
crucial in every situation. The senses of human beings and their imaginations have been
discussed in the book by Rene Descartes in his book about meditations.

4HISTORY OF IDEAS
References
Askaphilosopher.org, 2013. Descartes On Imagination And Intellect. [online] Ask a Philosopher.
Available at: <https://askaphilosopher.org/2013/08/05/descartes-on-imagination-and-
intellect/> [Accessed 29 March 2020].
Carriero, John. Descartes & the Autonomy of the Human Understanding. Routledge, 2019.
Cunning, David, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Descartes-Meditations. Cambridge
University Press, 2014.
Descartes, René. Descartes' Meditations. Author's Republic, 2016.
Mercer, Christia. "The methodology of the Meditations: tradition and innovation." (2014).
Yaldir, Hulya. "Ibn Sînâ (Avicenna) and René Descartes on the faculty of imagination." British
Journal for the History of Philosophy 17.2 (2009): 247-278.