Interaction of Mind and Body by Rene Descartes
Exegetical Virtue to Descartes' Arguments
The first point forwarded by Rene Descartes in his arguments is that the mind is separate and distinct from the body. Central to Descartes' Cartesian dualism is that the immaterial mind and the material body may be distinct but they do interact. This is the second point forwarded by Descartes, that the mind and the body interact.
Interaction between Mind and Body
This interaction results in mental events causing physical events to happen and vice versa. This becomes the focal point for controversies against Cartesian dualism: how can an immaterial mind cause anything to a material body and vice versa? This is called the “problem of interactionism” which some philosophers questioned.
The body has a sensory mechanism which reacts to the external stimulus that affects the peripheral ends of the nerve fibrils which consequently causes displacement to the central ends. This displacement leads to the rearrangement of the interfibrillar space which caused the flow of animal spirits to be directed to the nerves of the body causing a reflex reaction.
This actually forms the basis for the reflex theory -- that the body has a mechanism for automatic and spontaneous reaction through its nerve endings. This means that reflex is a function of the body not of the mind. The interaction of the mind and body can be explained by the reflex theory.
Descartes explained this interaction by suggesting that the animal spirits interacted with the body through the pineal gland found in the centre of the brain. Therefore, causal interaction of the pineal gland is actually the basis for the Cartesian dualism. Since the mind is a function of thought which makes use of the brain, brain therefore is an important link of the mind and body.
The rational soul might not be aware of the outflow of the animal spirits because of the rearrangement of the interfibrillar spaces in the pineal glands. When that happens, an awareness occurs which results in a sensation thus causing the body to affect the mind. In turn, the mind might also lead to the differential outflow of the animal spirits to the body resulting in the mind affecting the body.
Exegetical Virtue to Descartes' Arguments
From the arguments cited above which are based on Rene Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, it is clear that mind and body are separate. The mind is indivisible, invisible and immortal unlike the body. Therefore, these two -- mind and body -- are totally different substances. They can only interact with each other through the outflow of animal spirits in the pineal glands which results in the body affecting the mind or vice versa.
This argument by Descartes may not be totally acceptable to some people especially those who do not believe in spirits, but the arguments he forwarded do offer an insight to the baffling link between mind and body. It provides a good starting point to arrive at a verifiable conclusion.
The arguments presented may not be totally correct but it is important to note that Descartes was trying to expound his main ideas by sticking to it and not deviating from his arguments. A central exegetical virtue is fidelity to the text.
Therefore, Descartes could only expound ideas related to the arguments he forwarded. He needs to defend his ideas which revolve around a central view that mind and body are separate and can only interact with each other but could never be one. By doing this, he was able to clearly explain his concepts. Doing the opposite, like deviating from his chosen topic, could destroy his arguments.
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