The Body and Mind are Two Parts of a Whole Modern science clearly disproves Rene Descartes theory of mind body dualism a philosophy claiming that the body and the mind are two separate entities In Meditation 2 Descartes asserted that the mind which he believed is a non physical substance existed independently of the body making the body like a machine that was simply controlled by the mind Essentially the two are separate entities that only casually influence each other However modern science clearly objects to this claim by showing that mental processes are directly tied to brain activity Therefore these discoveries cast doubt on Descartes dualism position instead suggesting that consciousness and thought are results of physical processes in the brain In Meditation 1 Descartes begins exploring the dualism between the mind and body where he doubts everything he thought to be true including the existence of his body He posits that his senses have deceived him and it is unwise to trust completely those that have deceived him even once about the world around him but he asserts that he cannot doubt the existence of his mind Descartes 1 In Meditation 2 Descartes distinguishes the mind responsible for thinking and reasoning from the body which is a definite shape and position of matter Descartes 5 He goes on to claim that he is simply a thing that thinks a mind or soul or intellect or reason which indicates the separation of the mind and body forming the foundation of his dualist philosophy Descartes 5 However this premise is untrue and modern science calls into question Descartes distinction between the mind and body as two separate entities Evidence from modern science particularly neuroscience shows that mental processes are directly tied to activity in the brain which contradicts Descartes claim of the mind independently existing from the body For instance studies on brain damage and use of MRIs magnetic resonance imaging show that specific parts of the brain are responsible for mental functions Damage to certain parts of the brain can lead to distinct alterations in a person s ability to think reason perceive speak walk etc Furthermore a study at the Washington University School of Medicine found that parts of the brain area that control movement are plugged into networks involved in thinking and planning and in control of involuntary bodily functions such as blood pressure and heartbeat These findings represent a literal linkage of body and mind in the very structure of the brain Bhandari This research is also confirmed with what we know about people who have been deemed brain dead the body cannot continue to survive without the mind it does not continue to breathe regulate heartbeats or function without the mind In fact the body must be placed on life support to help the body remain alive without brain function Furthermore consciousness thought and emotion are not products of an inconsequential mind they are grounded in the physical processes occurring in the brain Hence the body and the mind are intertwined as two parts of one whole they are dependent upon each other to function Descartes might respond to this objection by noting that modern science is just that modern science and fails to account for the time in which he was living Further he might claim that neuroscience only tells us about the relationship between the brain and mental state not about the nature of the mind itself He might argue that the mind is defined by its ability to think which is different from the processes observed in the brain Descartes notes bodies are not perceived by the senses or by imagination but by intellect alone implying that the mind is distinct from the body From this perspective then science may only be observing how the mind interacts with the body rather than disproving the existence of an independent mind Nevertheless this objection to modern science is unsatisfying and inadequate based research The brain does not just correlate with mental states it produces them The fact that alterations to the brain s structure or chemistry can influence mood behavior thought or actions clearly proves that the mind is not a separate substance from the body instead is one part of a whole While Descartes idea was groundbreaking in its day it cannot withstand what we know from modern science The clear connections made between the body and the mind through ever evolving neuroscience indicate a complex intricate physical relationship between the two Descartes dualism is ultimately incompatible with the scientific evidence that mental processes are physical in nature Works Cited Bhandari Tamara Mind Body Connection Is Built into Brain Study Suggests Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis 20 Apr 2023 medicine wustl edu news mind body connection is built into brain study suggests text Louis 20reveals 20that 20a 20connection blood 20pressure 20and 20heart 20rate Descartes Rene Meditation 1 and 2 Bennett 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