Editing Mind–body dualism (section)

===Cartesian arguments===
{{Main|Meditations on the First Philosophy}}

Descartes puts forward two main arguments for dualism in ''[[Meditations on the First Philosophy|Meditations]]'': firstly, the "modal argument," or the "clear and distinct perception argument," and secondly the "indivisibility" or "divisibility" argument.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Summary of the 'modal argument'<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/#ModArg|title = The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|chapter = Dualism|year = 2020|publisher = Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University}}</ref>
| colspan="4" |It is imaginable that one's mind might exist without one's body.
|-
| colspan="4" |''therefore''
|-
| colspan="4" |It is conceivable that one's mind might exist without one's body.
|-
| colspan="4" |''therefore''
|-
| colspan="4" |It is possible one's mind might exist without one's body.
|-
| colspan="4" |''therefore''
|-
| colspan="4" |One's mind is a different entity from one's body.
|}
The argument is distinguished from the [[Zombie Argument]] as it establishes that the mind could continue to exist without the body, rather than that the unaltered body could exist without the mind.<ref>[[Howard Robinson|Robinson, Howard]]. [2003] 2016. "[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dualism/#ModArg Dualism § The Modal Argument]." ''[[Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]]''.</ref> [[Alvin Plantinga]],<ref>[[Robert Lawrence Kuhn|Kuhn, Robert Lawrence]], host. 2009. "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOTn_wRwDE0 Is the Person All Material?]" Ep. 43 in ''[[Closer to Truth|Closer to the Truth]]'' (television series). via YouTube.</ref> [[J. P. Moreland]],<ref>Everist, Randy. 30 December 2015. "[https://www.randyeverist.com/2015/12/the-modal-argument-for-substance.html The Modal Argument for Substance Dualism: A Spirited Defense, Part 1]." ''Possible Worlds''. Accessed 31 July 2020.</ref> and [[Edward Feser]]<ref>Feser, Edward. 13 April 2009. "[http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2009/04/descartes-clear-and-distinct-perception.html Descartes' "clear and distinct perception" argument]." {{Blogspot|edwardfeser|Edward Feser}}.</ref> have both supported the argument, although Feser and Moreland think that it must be carefully reformulated to be effective.

The ''indivisibility argument'' for dualism was phrased by Descartes as follows:<ref>Calef, Scott. n.d. "[https://www.iep.utm.edu/dualism/#SH3a Dualism and Mind § The Argument From Indivisibility]." ''[[Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]]''.</ref><blockquote>[T]here is a great difference between a mind and a body, because the body, by its very nature, is something divisible, whereas the mind is plainly indivisible...insofar as I am only a thing that thinks, I cannot distinguish any parts in me.... Although the whole mind seems to be united to the whole body, nevertheless, were a foot or an arm or any other bodily part amputated, I know that nothing would be taken away from the mind...</blockquote>The argument relies upon [[Leibniz]]' [[identity of indiscernibles|principle of the identity of indiscernibles]], which states that two things are the same if and only if they share all their properties. A counterargument is the idea that matter is not infinitely divisible, and thus that the mind could be identified with material things that cannot be divided, or potentially Leibnizian [[Monad (philosophy)|monads]].<ref>[[Edward Feser|Feser, Edward]]. 27 February 2017. "[http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2015/02/descartes-indivisibility-argument.html Descartes' "indivisibility" argument]." {{Blogspot|edwardfeser|Edward Feser}}.</ref>