Descartes

Review Descartes arguments for dualism. What is Flanagan's analysis of Decartes three arguments?

1) You can doubt the body but you can't doubt the Mind therefore the mind is essential. A) You can doubt something is important but it might still be important. 2) If I perceive there is a difference between the body and mind then there is the difference. B) Just because you think it's different doesn't mean it actually is. 3) An entity cannot have its property and the opposite. C) Mind is divisible into parts. Decartes is saying mind has functions but not parts.

How would you distinguish human movements from actions?

Actions are purposeful, voluntary and conscious. Human movements, or reflexes, are dependent on outside stimuli.

How did Descartes apply the New Mechanical Philosophy of the scientific revolution to an understanding of human behavior?

Descartes believed that everything would react to a stimulus and is built to react in a certain way.

What does Cartesian dualism help us understand? What are it's flaws?

Helps us understand classes of movements, voluntary human actions. Throws out psychology as a science. No evidence of non-physical. It can't scenically explain voluntary action. Without mind, actions freewill, we aren't accountable for our actions. If Decart is correct, there is no science of the mind.

Beta

If I precieve two things as different, they are. Only applies to self.

Describe methodic doubt. What is it aimed at discovering?

Its purpose is to use doubt as a route to certain knowledge by finding those things which could not be doubted. It is aimed and discovering whether or not the soul and body are the same thing or are connected in any way.

Why did Descartes reject the reflex mechanism as an explanation for human actions?

Many actions are voluntary.

Descartes claims all materialism is false... What does that mean? How does he argue for dualism?

Materialism is false because we have free will. We have a mind. Descartes argues for dualism using the Gedaken experiments. Exp 1. Knee Jerk is disproved with voluntary and intelligent human behavior. Exp 2. Methodic Doubt - Doubt everything until you wind up with the only thing you can't. Exp 3. Thought Arguments

What is the scientific revolutions world view?

Mechanistic

Materialism

Only psychical matter exists

Where were Decartes works indexed?

Roman Catholic Church

Metaphysics

Study of what actually exists.

What is the reflex arc? What could it describe? According to Descartes, can we have a mechanics of the mind?

The reflex arc is when an external stimulus causes a rise in activity that ends in terminating response. This could be used to describe behavior. This could be used to describe behavior. According to Descartes original theory we can have a mechanics of the Mind

What is the new mechanistic philosophy?

The universe is like a machine.