Women Philosophy

At the beginning of the part four of the discourse, Descartes explained his position concerning the omissions he had made when trying to explain the three kinds of primordial notions, namely; body, soul and the union existing between the body and the soul. He said that we cannot recognize the above three notions by way of comparing with one another (Women Philosophers, P18). Hence he felt that he must have stated the difference that subsists among the soul along with its functions, body, the union of the two and the means with which all these three notions become immediately obvious. He affirmed that although the soul is conceived as a material, it is distinctly separate from it (Women Philosophers, P18).

            The major difference among the three kinds of notions lies in the fact that the soul can be recognized by pure understanding alone whilst the body can be recognized by understanding assisted by imagination. But the matters that are relevant to the union of the body and the soul can be recognized only ambiguously by understanding or imagination (Women Philosophers, P 19). They are known to the senses evidently. Hence those who solely rely on their senses consider the body and the soul as one single thing and believe that the body acts upon the soul. Descartes feels that the metaphysical thoughts that employ pure understanding make the notion of the soul clear to us (Women Philosophers, P19). Whereas one can conjure up the notion of the union of soul and body by availing oneself to life and simple conversations and refraining from meditating and studying matters which implement imagination (Women Philosophers , P19). 

            There are some logical errors made by Descartes here. He himself admits that human mind is not capable of conceiving soul and body. At the same time he explains it is possible to understand the union through senses. In my opinion senses borrow their existence from mind. Without the aid of mind the senses cannot function. Hence even senses cannot conceive the union.     

Also I disagree with Descartes’ discovery that everything we conceive very clearly and very distinctively is true. Even in our dreams we conceive things very clearly and distinctively only to find when we wake up that they are nothing but the creations of our own mind. In the same way the waking reality can also be negated in our dream. For instance, if a beggar dreams to be a king, he would not agree if someone comes in his dream and says that he is actually a beggar.

Another obscurity is that the word ‘soul’ is not defined clearly. Does soul include mind and the very person who tries to understand the notion of the union? Descartes agrees that the union is evident. But he must have tried to establish the fact whether it can be communicable.