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Descartes Description Of The Human Body

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In part II of this paper, I will explain Descartes’ view regarding the human body in his Treatise on Man (L’homme) and its relation to his ontology and the To Mesland, 9 February 1645 letter. In the Treatise on Man (L’homme), Descartes claims that the human body is composed of of a soul and a body, and proceeds to provide a description of the body itself in order to demonstrate that mind and body would have to be joined to constitute a human body. In like manner, this description follows the same path as his ontology, in which Descartes argues that res cogitans and res extensa are the only elements of the human body. Similarly, Descartes’ description of the human body fits with his claim made in To Mesland, 9 February 1645 letter , claiming …show more content…

CSM I, 99), Descartes suggests that the our bodies (human body) are composed of a soul and a body. However, Descartes finds necessary to provide a description of the soul and the body individually to better understand how these join and unite ‘to constitute men who resemble us’ (L’homme). In this case, Descartes seems to create a scenario where the body possesses all its functions, but does not possess rationality (Normore). For the body, Descartes describes it as a ‘statute or machine made of earth’ that is created by God in the image of human beings, externally and internally. In the external side of the body, God creates the body with the same colors and shapes of all the parts of the human body. In the internal side of the body, God creates the body the same organs as the human body that allow to conduct the same mechanistic internal acts (e.g. breathe). Taking this view into consideration, Descartes thinks that the human body itself possesses a mechanical explanation and acts based on the disposition of their organs without reason. As Descartes asserts, this allows the body “to imitate all those of our functions”. Notice, in this passage Descartes fails to provide a description of the soul (the mind). This means, however, that the soul does not take part for this mechanistic actions, and these may take place without the soul/mind; these actions, however, would be repetitive and would have no

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