Mechanistic principles can't explain the mind

The sould and mind are not made of the same kind of substance as external bodies are, and mechanism can't explain their workings.

So, although inanimate objects, plants, animals and the bodies of humans can be understood by applying physical (mechanistic) laws, the mind of man needs a completely different kind of explanation.

René Descartes (1637).

Notes: Descartes both supports and disputes mechanism. On the one hand he thinks the bodies are mechanistic but on the other hand he thinks that minds aren't mechanistic.
RELATED ARTICLESExplain
Artificial Intelligence
Are thinking computers mathematically possible? [7]
Yes: Automata can think
Natural phenomena best understood via mechanism
Mechanistic principles can't explain the mind
Machines can't use signs meaningfully
Minds are mechanical
Mechanistic philosophy is correct approach
Human thinking is computational
Man is a machine
Mechanistic biology
Artificial machines can't duplicate natural machines
Gödel refutes the philosophy of mechanism
Graph of this discussion
Enter the title of your article


Enter a short (max 500 characters) summation of your article
Enter the main body of your article
Lock
+Comments (0)
+Citations (0)
+About
Enter comment

Select article text to quote
welcome text

First name   Last name 

Email

Skip