Descartes Debate

Thesis Statement:

René Descartes’ dualist view is the most compelling explanation of consciousness because it accounts for subjective experience, self-awareness, and the inability of purely physical explanations to fully capture the mind’s complexity.

Body Paragraphs:

1. Descartes’ Argument for Dualism

- The mind and body are separate entities.

- Consciousness is not just a result of physical processes but comes from a non-material soul.

- I think, therefore I am—thinking proves the existence of an immaterial self.

2. Problems with La Mettrie’s Materialism

- If humans are just machines, why do we have subjective experience (qualia)?

- Machines and AI (like those in Her or Robocop) can simulate human thought, but does that mean they have a soul?

- Materialism struggles to explain free will—if thoughts are just physical processes, do we truly have control?

3. Supporting Descartes with Movie Examples

- Alex Murphy in Robocop (2014)

  - His mind is manipulated by technology, yet his true self (his soul) resurfaces.

  - If he were just a machine, he would not have independent thought or resistance to programming.

- The Replicants in Blade Runner (1982)

  - They act human but lack genuine self-awareness, implying that consciousness is more than just physicality.

Conclusion:

- Restate why Descartes’ dualism is the best explanation of consciousness.

- Materialism fails to account for the richness of human experience.

- True consciousness requires something beyond physical processes—perhaps a soul.