Descartes

Descartes Introduction Can mind exist with out the presence of body' Rene' Descartes in his Meditations on the First Philosophy, comes to the conclusion that mind and body are distinct from one another, therefore mind is not dependent on body. Descartes uses an example of a sailor to a ship. In his example Descartes states, "I am present to my body in the way a sailor is present in a ship," meaning mind is like a navigator to the body, although working together both mind and body are two separate entities (53). Mind does not depend on body because mind and body can be conceived independently of one another having distinct differences. Body I. In Meditation Six Descartes argues that mind and body are independent. With the existence of God, Descartes explains that things can be understood, and if one thing can be understood without another, that would define the two things as separate (51). When applied to the argument that mind is not dependent on Body, Descartes states, "And although perhaps (or rather, as I shall soon say, assuredly) I have a body that is very closely joined to me, nevertheless, because on the one hand I have a clear and distinct idea body, mind, one, descartes, distinct, because, two, separate, without, different, both, argument, thing, same, example, dependent, another, although, therefore, seemingly, present, independent, each, completely, way, understood, thoughts, things, schizophrenia, person, motions, meaning, identical, having, false, exist, conceived, conceivably, cannot, am, 56, times, thinking, supports, someone, ship, sailor, run, presence, personality