Personally I do not buy into the idea of the Cartesian split. I feel, and I think the evidence suggests, that a human being’s mind is one with their body. Based on our reading, The Blank Slate, I think Steven Pinker would agree with me. However, before Pinker goes on to tear apart the idea of “the ghost in the machine” he first describes why it was initially produced . The idea is an appealing one. Creating a dichotomy between the mind and body meant that humans had souls and an afterlife was possible, thus giving life a purpose. In this way I think the Cartesian split works positively. If it is comforting for one to believe that human beings do possess souls and can have a life beyond death then I implore them to do so. Making sure life is meaningful is important to many, and I would never want to take this away from someone.
However, a problem with the Cartesian split does arise when people choose to reject the idea that some physical aspects of the body, namely the brain, do have direct impacts on one’s personality or who they are. Pinker brings up brain surgery patients to support this and I think it is an excellent example. After frontal lobe lobotomies or splitting the hemispheres of the brain, many of these patients are completely different people. It was in 1950’s that the number of frontal lobe lobotomies peaked. They were preformed mostly on patients suffering with severe mental illnesses, and the procedures were said to result in personalities that were dramatically duller and much easier to control. How can you explain this if the mind is separate from the body? In my opinion, you can’t, and therefore it’s important to accept that biology can impact what makes you you. When we reject this idea then notions like, “all you need is willpower to get over that depression” start to spring up, and these are most definitely not good. Ultimately our mind and body directly influence each other and being in denial of this has many negative implications.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Cartesian split, split brains, and lobotomies...
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I think that the example of lobotomies is really interesting in regards to the mind / body split. Especially because now the mind is often used in a synonymous sense with the physical existence of the brain, which may or may not have been the case when Descartes was writing (I have been of the view that he uses the idea of mind, Soul, etc. almost interchangeably to define what makes us uniquely human). I think that the case of lobotomies certainly complicates this clear sort of mind / body split in that it highlights the fact that the way we think about the mind now (as being located in the brain) is always already a part of the body and cannot be separated so easily.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%. I liked your argument using Lobotomies in the 1950s. I think the changes in personality shows that there is no split between the mind and the body.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many intervening and unknown variables that to make conclusions based upon the evidence available today demonstrates preconception. We just don't know enough. To undermine the faith of those who believe in a transcendent mind based upon untested leaps of logic is irresponsible.
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