Phil Assignment 2 - Book Report/Review Example

Argument for Dualists While it is true that the body and the mind are both complete and different entities, this kind of completeness is ive, wherein what we may understand can only come from what we perceive (Morton 116). This is because it can only be possible for the mind to think of various complexities if it is stimulated continually both internally or externally. For external stimuli to enter the mind, the mind can use the physical body to project a part of itself to the physical plane, and whatever information has been received can then be stored and be digested by the mind or let out as the need arises.

As for the physical body, while it can defend itself through actions that do not require the mind to participate such as reflexes, in order to maintain its existence it depends on its message exchanges with the brain so that the mind can consciously send signals on what it should do. The interactions between mind and body makes the two function independently from one another, hence its dualist nature.Descartes’ description is agreeable, on how objects perceived in space are interpreted by the mind.

This shows the duality of humans because the body is capable of interacting with physical objects due to both the human body and the physical objects consisting of particles that can interact with each other, which we know now as atoms or molecules. These small particles are considered to be “material or physical substances” that can interact with other particles, human bodies can alter space and allow the physical body to feel these using immaterial or non-physical substances that Descartes refer to as the “human mind” (Morton 115).

How our bodies respond to these physical objects are recorded by our brain and interpreted by our minds, which can easily be recalled as needed such as when there is a need to recall the kinds of physical objects that the body normally meets on a daily basis. Thus our understanding of our external environment is the result of our kinetic interactions with physical objects and how our minds interpret these stimuli.Work CitedMorton, Peter, A historical introduction to the philosophy of mind. New York, NY: Broadview Press, 2010. Print.