Desiree Rojo-De Padron Professor Holland PHR-101 Introduction to Philosophy April 25, 2016 Final: Prompt #3 Examining The Mind and Body Problem: Gilbert Ryle’s Rebuttal to Rene Descrates’ Cartesian Dualism In the dialogue Phaedo, Plato in attempting to understand Socrates’ acceptance of death, presents arguments to the soul’s immortality. In the affinity of the souls, Plato details that there are two kinds of existences; dual existences—that are in the visible and the invisible realms to strengthen his disposition regarding Socrates’ willingness and eagerness to depart from the physical world. In trying to give validity to the dualist concept, Plato suggests that the soul is a form of life and distinguishes that the soul gives life to the body; thus, completing his argument of the soul’s immortal nature. The mind is in the likeness of the divine realm and the body is of the physical world (78b-84b). With this concept in mind, he separates the soul from the body. Many centuries later, Rene Decartes reinforces this concept and names it dualism; this is when …show more content…
Being of the twentieth century, Ryle likens himself to contemporaneous theorists. The rise of Freudian theory allows him to incorporate behavioral analysis to his theory. In explaining that behavioral acts are public displays of the mind, Ryle is able to deconstruct Cartesian dualism. His claim is that since behavior is an act of the psyche it proves that the mind is, in fact, intrinsically linked to the body. Through his analogy of the category mistake, Ryle demonstrates that Cartesian dualism separates the mind and the body; however, behavior and the mind cannot be separated, as behavior is the physical product of the mind. Though, I accept and believe that Ryle’s rebuttal disputes Cartesian dualism, I do, however, lean towards Descartes’ dualist