Question

Im a little confused with Cartesian Dualism can someone give me a quick run down of it? This is philosophy btw :)

Answer 1

well im more confused with Gilbert Ryles "Descartes myth"

Answer 2

so who is the dualist Ryles or Descartes?

Answer 3

Wait so Descartes is the Dualist and Ryles is the Physicalist

Answer 4

Im still confused :/

Answer 5

OK, I'll try and keep this simple and separate from the rest of Descartes' philosophy.

Descartes believed that his mind was a separate kind of thing from his body. For one thing, he thought his body, like all physical things, had 'extension' (for which read 'volume') whereas his mind did not. He believed that states in his body (including his brain) *caused* changes in this separate mind corresponding to different experiences/mental states. The non-physical mind would then *cause* a change in bodily (brain) state (to cause a physical response of whatever kind).

Materialism/physicalism is strongly against the idea of a separate mind. For them, feelings and thoughts are identical with or constituted by brain states such that it is impossible to be in a certain brain state and not simultaneously have the experience/thought. They are one and the same.

These latter views are especially hostile to the idea of 'downward' causation. That is of a separate mind having physical effects. Epiphenomenalism is the view that mind is not identical with brain states but that it does not cause physical effects in its own right. So certain brain states might cause (or merely correspond to) certain mental states, but those first brain states would also directly cause later brain states, and the experience of the mind causing actions would be an illusion. Such views would usually count as dualist, but not be of the Cartesian variety.

Answer 6

ahh ok ic thankyou so much :)

Answer 7

your welcome :) hope I helped