descartes' proofs

• Descartes had three proofs for the existence of the soul
• 1st proof: argument from doubt

  1. i can doubt that my body exists
  2. but i cannot doubt that i exist as a thinkning thing because doubt is a form of thinking
  3. thus, because i am a thinking thing, i am not identical with my body
• evaluation of Descartes 1st proof:

  • it probably doesn't work - most philosophers view the conscious mind as a product of the brain + the brain is simply part of what we call 'the body'
  • without the body, the mind would not exist to produce Descartes' argument (i cannot doubt that my body exists/0
• 2nd proof: argument from divisibility + non-divisibility

  • all bodies take up space, thus are divisible
  • mental states, however, do not + so are not divisible
  • this means that minds are radically different from the body
• evaluation of Descartes' 2nd proof:

  • this argument seems to be false - modern neuroscience shows that there is a close correlation between the mind + the brain
  • when the brain is damaged, the mind can be damaged also - to that extent, it can be 'divided'
• 3rd proof: the argument from clear + distinct perception

  1. he attributed his perception of 2 different things to God having created 2 different things
  2. so he had a clear + distinct perception of himself as a thinking being, and of his body as a non-thinking being
  3. he and his body could exist apart from each other
  4. so he was distinct from his body
  5. as the mind/soul was not located in space and had no parts to decay, it was immortal
• evaluation of Descartes' 3rd proof

  • the argument is a circular argument - known as the Cartesian Circle
  • this is because of his implication that the existence of God is proven by reliable perception, which is itself guaranteed by God:

  1. Descartes' proof of the reliability of clear and distinct perceptions uses the premise God's existence as a non-deceiver.
  2. Descartes' proofs of God's existence assumes the reliability of clear and distinct perceptions.