Cartesian Dualism and the Union of Mind and Body Essay

Cartesian Dualism and the Union of Mind and Body ABSTRACT: Cartesian dualism and the union of mind and body are often understood as conceptions that contradict each other. Diachronic interpretations maintain that Descartes was first a dualist (in the Meditations) and later on developed his stance on the union of mind and body (Passions). Some authors find here a problem without solution. Nevertheless, in the last two decades, some interpretations have been developed intending to give a positive solution to the difficult relation between Cartesian dualism and the union of mind and body. The problem that I find in most of them is that they try to show no incoherence between Descartes dualism and his conception of the union and†¦show more content†¦So, when he asserts the union between the human mind and body, some interpreters find that he presents a contradictory position. Others think that probably Descartes was not so radical in his dualism. In order to build a different interpretation about the Cartesian dualism and the union of mind and body, I have established two categories. I call diachronic interpretations those that maintain that Descartes was first a dualist (i.e., in the Meditations), and later on developed his stance on the union of mind and body (i.e., in the Passions). Against diachronic perspectives, I propose a synchronic interpretation under which I maintain that Cartesian dualism and the union of mind and body are simultaneously present all along Descartes works. (1) Through this category I try to accomplish my purpose in this paper, which is to show that there is coherence and intelligibility in Descartes conceptions of dualism and union. Redefinition of the Problem under a Synchronic Interpretation When Princess Elisabeth questioned Descartes on the possibility of interaction between heterogeneous substances [AT III 661]., he answered recognizing that through his works, he had not said much about the union of mind and body. In his letter [21-05-1643] Descartes justifies this saying he had been primarily focused in the demonstration of the distinction between mind and body. Descartes himself recognized the uneven development of his doctrine on dualism and hisShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of The Mind Body Dualism1232 Words   |  5 Pagesscholastic Aristotelianism and created the first version of the modern mind-body dualism or emotion† (Encyclopedia Britannica). Born on March 31, 1596, he was dubbed as the Father of Modern Philosophy. His theory on the mind-body dualism, also known as Cartesian Dualism, created a stem of the modern problem of the relationship between the mind and body. 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