Mind and Body

Mind and Body

Unlike Descartes thought, I do not believe the mind and body are distinct and opposite in nature. I think that the body cannot exist without the mind and the mind cannot exist without the body. According to Descartes the mind and body are substance dualism. This means that they are two distinct substances; which do not need anything else for its existence so it can be living independently. This meaning that the mind does not need the body nor does the body need the mind to create movements or complete thoughts. However, I believe his idea is incorrect. Without the mind describing to the body what to do and without having the body to implement the minds thoughts we would not be able to exist. I do not believe they are two separate substances, I think the mind and the body have to be connected in some way, shape or form in order to be considered a living thing.

The way Descartes' described the mind and body it appears that he believes that you do not need the mind and body to be connected, but if this were true, how would a person if their mind told them they were thirsty, get up to get a glass of water if the mind was not connected to the body? The body would not know how to move his/her arms or legs in order to receive this glass of water to fulfill the needs. Without the mind connected to the body a person would have no way to act on his or her wants and emotions. I feel like a person is not able to exist without the mind and body being interconnected.

While I may not agree with Descartes' saying the mind and body or not connected, Descartes' description about the mind as immaterial and the body as the material component makes since. This makes sense because the body is the material component the part you can see and view while the mind is internal and you cannot really change your minds shape but you can change the physical material part of your body. Even though I believe that part to be true I still say that the mind and body need each other to exist. While the mind and the body have different functions they need each other to exist through out the world.

It is hard to believe what Descartes' was saying when he was describing the mind and body as two distinct substances. By not having them being connected it would be hard to say the person is actually a human being. You can not exist with just your mind or with just your body. If this would to occur the world would be completely different today. Imagine your body being in a completely different states then your mind. If you think about it, would your body being able to exist in an operating state or would your mind be able to implements its wants or needs with out the body to act on these needs. Another example would be cooking food. I find it hard to believe that a persons' body would be able to figure out ingredients, temperature, and the stove without the mind being there