You might ask the question does it matter?
Well it mattered to Rene Descartes the French Philosopher remember his famous quote
“I think, therefore I am.”
So what did Descartes mean by that quote . It could be argued that all he is really was sure about, was that he is capable of thinking – anything else might be open to debate. Descartes is saying he cannot trust his senses like hearing and sight – all he can be sure of that he is capable of thinking.
Descartes was a Dualist he believed that his brain and his mind were two separate entities and that his mind, was capable of continue to keep thinking, if his mind and brain were separated. At the time of these deliberations there were critics to his notions. Today the conventional medical model is that the brain and mind are the same – thus this model is called Physicalism.
I suppose if you are a person of faith you would tend to agree with Descartes. However, some modern philosophers still subscribe to Dualism – What’s your thoughts on this matter ?
One of the major objections to Descartes deliberations on Dualism was the issue of how the brain could interact with a non-physical substance such as the mind. Which apparently according to Descartes had no physical form. However, Descartes formulated a solution to this, by the form of animal spirits operating on the pineal gland in the brain. Modern science have dismissed this suggestion . However, despites Descartes errors here there are still advocates of Dualism even today.
