Question:
If Descartes' Meditations is credited for a modern version of mind-body dualism, which statements among the following hold true in accordance with it?
If Descartes' Meditations is credited for a modern version of mind-body dualism, which statements among the following hold true in accordance with it?
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Descartes: {mind = thinking and indivisible}, {body = extended and divisible}. Remember this contrast to eliminate wrong options quickly.
Updated On: Dec 24, 2025
- Descartes is a substance dualist.
- Mind is essentially a thinking thing.
- Essential property of matter is determined by the form.
- Both, mind and body are indivisible.
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The Correct Option is A, B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Recall Descartes’ mind-body dualism.
In Descartes’ philosophy, mind and body are two distinct substances:
Mind (res cogitans) = thinking substance.
Body (res extensa) = extended substance.
Step 2: Evaluate option (A).
(A) Correct: Descartes holds that mind and body are two different kinds of substances, which is precisely substance dualism.
Step 3: Evaluate option (B).
(B) Correct: Descartes defines the essence of mind as thinking. Even if one doubts everything else, the act of thinking remains certain.
Step 4: Reject option (C).
(C) Incorrect: For Descartes, the essential property of matter is extension (being spatially extended), not Aristotelian form. The idea that matter’s essence is determined by form belongs to Aristotelian/Scholastic metaphysics, which Descartes rejects.
Step 5: Reject option (D).
(D) Incorrect: Descartes claims the mind is indivisible (not made of parts), but the body is divisible because it is extended. Therefore, it is false that both are indivisible.
Step 6: Conclusion.
The correct statements consistent with Descartes’ dualism are (A) and (B).
Final Answer: (A), (B)
In Descartes’ philosophy, mind and body are two distinct substances:
Mind (res cogitans) = thinking substance.
Body (res extensa) = extended substance.
Step 2: Evaluate option (A).
(A) Correct: Descartes holds that mind and body are two different kinds of substances, which is precisely substance dualism.
Step 3: Evaluate option (B).
(B) Correct: Descartes defines the essence of mind as thinking. Even if one doubts everything else, the act of thinking remains certain.
Step 4: Reject option (C).
(C) Incorrect: For Descartes, the essential property of matter is extension (being spatially extended), not Aristotelian form. The idea that matter’s essence is determined by form belongs to Aristotelian/Scholastic metaphysics, which Descartes rejects.
Step 5: Reject option (D).
(D) Incorrect: Descartes claims the mind is indivisible (not made of parts), but the body is divisible because it is extended. Therefore, it is false that both are indivisible.
Step 6: Conclusion.
The correct statements consistent with Descartes’ dualism are (A) and (B).
Final Answer: (A), (B)
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