Descartes' Substance Dualism EXPLAINED

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Can we be sure of anything? Descartes thought we could—at the very least, we can be sure that we are thinking beings. From Cartesian doubt to the mind-body problem, this video explores Descartes’s Substance Dualism and what it means to be a “thinking thing.”

Descartes’s begins the “Meditations” by questioning everything—including whether we even have a body—and arrives at his famous conclusion: cogito ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am”). But what exactly is this “I” that thinks? According to Descartes, it is a mind or soul, distinct from the body. This leads to his theory of substance dualism: the mind and body are two separate substances, fundamentally different in nature.

We also explore key aspects of his theory, including the evidence of phantom limbs, why Descartes thought animals don’t feel pain, and how he believed the soul interacts with the body via the pineal gland. Finally, we discuss the binding problem in neuroscience.

Perfect for University Courses & A-Level Philosophy & Ethics OCR & AQA or equivalent.

🔍 Key Points Covered
Descartes’s method of Cartesian doubt and the foundation of his philosophy
Why thinking proves our existence
The mind-body distinction and Descartes’s theory of substance dualism
Phantom limb pain as evidence for Descartes’s view of the soul
The pineal gland and the binding problem in modern neuroscience

📖 Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:28 Cartesian Doubt
02:27 “Mind” & “Soul” Are the Same
03:20 Where is the Soul in the Body?
04:13 The Evidence of Phantom Limbs
04:45 The Soul is Not a Life-Giving Force
05:59 The Pineal Gland & Mind-Body Interaction
06:33 The Binding Problem & the Mind-Body Problem
07:38 Conclusion

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🔬 Sources and Further Reading
Descartes, R. (2008) Meditations on First Philosophy. Edited and Translated by M. Moriarty. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1641.
Goetz, S. & Taliaferro, C. (2011) A Brief History of the Soul. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

#Descartes #Philosophy #SubstanceDualism #MindBodyProblem #CogitoErgoSum

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