Exploring Descartes: The Philosophy of Self-Existence

“Cogito ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am.)” – René Descartes

Possibly the most well-known of all philosophical quotations; ‘I think, therefore I am’ was devised by the famous 16th century French philosopher René Descartes. He believed that all knowledge, rather than being facts, is only composed of varying levels of belief and hence our knowledge is dubitable. However, one thing he knew for certain is that he himself must exist, because in order for him to question the nature of his existence, there must exist something to actually ask the question. Consequently, we cannot doubt the existence of our own minds because the mental status of doubt itself confirms its existence. But how do we know that all this is true? How can we be sure that

Dualism is the idea of two distinct worlds: the public - the physical world of brain states, and the private - the psychical world of mental states. Physical properties, like the brain and body, are considered public because they are tangible and can be divided, destroyed and altered. On the other hand, mental properties are composed of non-material substance of mind and spirit involving consciousness and intentionality possessed by a subject or self.

In defining mind and matter, Descartes is simultaneously equating the mind with the soul whilst proving it to be distinct from the body and matter. Many philosophers of mind have attempted to address the mind-body problem, proving the relationship between the above two elements. Famously addressed by Descartes, he explored the relationship between consciousness and the brain as he provided several arguments in defence to his stance to the explanation of the union between the mind (or soul) and the body. One of which is the argument from indivisibility:

1. The body is divisible into

“When I think about my mind—or, in other words, about myself insofar as I am just a thinking thing—I can’t distinguish any parts; I understand myself to be a single, unified thing. Although my whole mind seems united to my whole body, I know that cutting off a foot, arm, or other limb would not take anything away from my mind." (p. 138, left) Nevertheless, this may just be a verbal dispute as there is no doubt that targeted brain damage can cause selective loss of a faculty, or even more strange changes to the mind, possibly proving the mind to be divisible. Thus, this premise is not falsifiable as there may be an undiscovered method beyond human capabilities to divide the