Descartes Sixth Meditation Essay

In his Sixth Meditation, Descartes argues that (1) mind and body are distinct, and (2) mind and body form a union, in which the mind and body can interact with each other. To better understand a union, take the example of ‘3 meters’: a measurement, i.e., union, formed from the number ‘3’ and the unit ‘meter’. Descartes argues in his Second Meditation that he can conceive of a mind as essentially a thinking thing, not an extended thing. Thus, he argues that a mind can exist without being extended, since extension is not in the essence of a mind. Similarly, he argues in his Fifth Meditation that he can conceive of a body as essentially an extended thing, not a thinking thing. Thus, he argues that a body can exist without thought, since thinking is not in the essence of a body. As

One way that Descartes might explain the mind-body interaction is by appealing to God. Since God created the union of mind and body, God gave both the mind and the body the ability to interact with each other. In his Fourth Meditation, Descartes argued that there are some things that we cannot understand because our understanding is limited compared to God’s. Thus, Descartes can conclude that we cannot understand specifically how the mind and body interact with each other, since the specific details of mind-body interaction are beyond our understanding. However, this explanation fails to resolve the contradiction between (1) and (2).

I will now explain why Descartes’ second response weakens his arguments in his Sixth Meditation. Descartes argues that both (1) and (2) are true. However, in his response to Elisabeth, Descartes argues that (1) and (2) are contradictory. If (1) and (2) cannot both be true at the same time, then at least one of (1) and (2) is false. I think that by acknowledging that (1), mind and body are distinct, is false, Descartes can resolve the contradiction without damaging his metaphysics too