Descartes: Body Perception

A detailed Summary of Descartes: Body Perception

Descartes begins by trying to simplify his point by using a more basic example of a body to better illustrate his idea. In this case he used the example of wax extracted from a honeycomb. He begins his description of the wax by mentioning different characteristics and attributes of it, such as its color, smell, and characteristics inherited from its basis. He then goes to explain that when heated the wax losses most of these characteristics and attributes but is still considered to be wax even though our senses may argue differently. This lead him to the conclusion that wax can not be known by any of these characteristics but only as a body.

To analyze this statement that wax is seen as a body Descartes takes two characteristics (flexibility, changeability) and proves that each cannot be measured on imagination (since they present limitless possibilities), but on mental perception alone. This leads him to believe that the wax is purely a mental concept, which could either be flawed or confused. He g

1. Descartes arguments about the body would not have been incorrect if he had decided to use any other example than the wax. A rose and a brick's characteristics could also be changed so that it was not visually a brick or a rose, but still be known as a brick or a rose. Both are bodies not just understood be what is interpreted by your senses they are understood to exist even if presented in a different form. If a rose was whole and then divided into multiple pieces so that its characteristics were changed it would still be considered a rose and if a brick were scented and changed to be another shape it would still be considered a brick, even though its function might be changed it would still retain its characteristics inherited by stones or flowers and therefore still be perceived as once being the original brick or rose.

3. Descartes briefly compares the way we perceive things to the way an animal might perceive things. Descartes uses this to establish the fact that humans differ greatly from anima

Some common words found in the essay are:
, humans animals, brick rose, animals perceive, common humans animals, goes explain, common humans, hats coats, characteristics inherited, outside window, characteristics attributes, characteristics changed,

Approximate Word count = 682
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Descartes: Body Perception

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