Debate from the point of view of Descartes and Searle - Speech or Presentation Example

Debate from the point of view of Descartes and Searle John Searle: Welcome, Sir Rene Descartes. I went through your work Meditations on First Philosophy, but I do not agree with your theory of dualism because you say that mind and body are different entities. It is impossible to prove because mind is unreal. Rene Descartes: John Searle, my argument is based upon my thoughts. I am thinking, so I exist. See, my thought or the process of thinking proves that I am real and I exist. Why you people consider mind and body as a single unit?

How can you prove that mind and body are same? I can prove that mind and body are different entities. At the same time, mind and body influence each other. Searle: We need not ponder upon the term ‘mind’ because it does not exist and it is unreal. Sir, you pointed out that mind and body influence each other. At the same time, why don’t you consider that mind is the part of body? I think the study of mind needs a satisfactory conclusion because we are arguing upon an imaginary thing without proof.

When you say that the process of though proves the existence of mind, why can’t you say that the same process of thought proves that thought is an inseparable part of brain, which is real? Descartes: For the sake of argument, please think that you do not exist in this world. You cannot prove your argument because you are real. From a different angle of view, your thought or argument is totally against your existence. To be specific, your argument that you are unreal (say, your imagination based upon your mind) proves that you are thinking.

At the same time, you are totally aware of the fact that you are not unreal because your physical body is here. So, your thought is an inseparable part of your brain but it does not prove that your mind and body are same. Searle: Our thought is similar to a system, which can be defined as a complex information processing unit, strictly limited to rules. So, how can we prove that this inseparable information processing unit within our body can be separated? When one undergoes biological death, one’s thought process comes to an end.

This proves that there is nothing called mind. So it cannot be separated from our body. We cannot separate the process of thought or consciousness from our physical body. Descartes: Once again I am asking you to imagine that you are unreal. Then, you doubt your physical existence. At the same time, you are aware of the fact that your thought is unreal because you are thinking or imagining. Descartes (2005), states that “From this is quite clear that, notwithstanding the supreme goodness of God, the nature of man, inasmuch as it is composed of mind and body, cannot be otherwise than sometimes a source of deception” ( p.77). This proves that you cannot deny your consciousness or the complex functioning of your mind.

In this way, you can see that you can separate your conscious mind from your body. At the same time you cannot deny the presence of your mind which is far away from your physical presence. Searle: Ok. Your argument is clear. Why don’t you consider that mind and body as a single unit or mind as an integral part of body? Sir, you did point out that imagination based upon one’s inexistence proves that one can separate one’s mind from one’s body. This argument is clear but it cannot be proved.

When we are not sleeping our consciousness is in full swing. But when we sleep, we become unaware of the existence of our consciousness. If our thought can be separated from our body, we can separate the same from our brain. But it is impossible to do so. When we are awake, we are aware of our emotions and feelings. Imagine that you are dreaming. Then you can feel the same emotions and feelings because consciousness is not separated from your body. When you dream about pain, you can feel pain but it is not real.

When you wake up, you realize that pain is unreal. So, mind (consciousness) is not independent of human body. Besides, mind can be defined as electrical waves produced by human brain. Descartes: See, Mr. John Searle, human mind (soul) and human body are different entities. At the same time both mind and body depends each other because human mind is an immaterial thing and human body is material. For instance, we feel pain because it leads to voluntary movement or reflex action. This proves that body and mind are different but can function as a single unit.

At the same time, mind (soul) can have its own existence apart from body because human mind (soul) controls the human body. Searle: Sir Rene Descartes, we can wind up this debate by attaining a conclusion that body is controlled by mind (consciousness) but the independence of mind beyond body (say, duality of body and consciousness (mind)) is still unresolved. Thank you for participating in this debate. Descartes: Mr. John Searle, you are most welcome. Besides, your arguments lead me towards new ideas on the link between mind (say, soul) and body, especially the mind’s control over the body.

References Descartes, R. (2005). Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. Stilwell: Digireads.com Publishing.