Meditation Six: Body and Mind, Essay Example

In Meditation Six, Descartes concludes and proves that mind and body are distinct. Though the proof may seem quite vague, he tries to explain how mind and body function separately, though depend on each other and are in constant interaction. In order to do so, Descartes employs the truths, which he had discovered in previous Meditations, including distinctiveness of essence of mind and body, distinctiveness of ideas, and the proof of God’s existence and power.

Human’s perception of the relationship between mind and body cannot be called clear and distinctive, as far as human beings do not feel or see this everyday interaction. However, Descartes argues that minds are affected by bodies, while bodies are affected and influenced by minds at the same time. In the first case, mind’s reality is shaped by the body’s perception, while in the second case mind directly affects the body by controlling its actions. The main problem here is, whether a non-physical object can influence a physical object and vice versa. Apparently, the interaction between mind and body is an inevitable part of any human being. Moreover, if this supposition is true, it means that body is not able to function without a mind, while mind would be useless without a body. This interaction results into human beings to be able to see, feel, act, and even think properly. Answering Mark Twain’s question, since the body does the drinking and it is directly linked to the mind, the mind also gets drunk, even if it did not physically consume alcohol.