Descartes’s views on the mind and the body.
Explain Descartes’s views on the mind and the body. The second question asks you to explain Elisabeth’s worries about his account. Answering these questions should engage closely with and make use of evidence from the text. The third question asks you to analyze the strength of Elisabeth’s objection. You’ll spend more time answering the first question than you will the second question. ( Do the citation)
First Question: Descartes aims to establish that the mind and body are distinct substances in Meditation VI. What is his argument for thinking that the mind and body are distinct substances, that nonetheless form a union? In answering this question, do the following:
• Explain how Descartes conceives of mental substance, and how Descartes thinks of material substance. Explain also why Descartes thinks they are two different substances.
o That is, what are the main properties of each substance? How does the fact that they share nothing in common as well as the fact that God can create whatever Descartes can clearly and distinctly perceive help prove they are separate substances.
• Explain why Descartes thinks he has good reason to think the mind and the body form a union.
Second Question: Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia raises an important objection to Descartes’s conception of mind/body union. What is her objection, and how does it spell trouble for Descartes? In answering this question, do the following:
• Explain the question Elisabeth asks Descartes about how the mind and body could interact, and why Elisabeth thinks Descartes would have a hard time explaining how the mind causes the body to move given his claims that they are two distinct substances that share nothing in common.
