Wednesday Wisdom

WHO? 

Princess Elizabeth was a 17th-century noblewoman and philosopher in a time when women didn't pursue often these fields of study. Her interests in language, mathematics, logic, and philosophy made her one of the great minds of the time. She was the daughter of King James I of England and Scotland, and the sister of King Charles I. Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia was a contemporary of René Descartes and corresponded with him on matters of mathematics, geometry, and philosophy, including his theory of dualism. In their correspondence, Princess Elizabeth challenged Descartes' theory of dualism by asking how the mind and body could interact if they were two separate entities. Descartes revered his interactions so much that he dedicated his book Principles of philosophy to Elizabeth in 1644. 

What she produced

Elizabeth's letters to Descartes are notable for their clarity, intelligence, and insight into the philosophical debates of the time. Descartes was impressed by Elizabeth's intellect and praised her as a model of the "perfect woman philosopher." Their correspondence continued for several years and has since been widely studied by scholars of philosophy and history.

French philosopher and mathematician, Renee Descartes is known for his work in metaphysics, particularly his concept of dualism, which posits that the mind and body are separate entities. This theory has been widely debated and has influenced the development of many other philosophical ideas, including materialism, idealism, and existentialism. He is also known for The quote "I think, therefore I am" (originally in French: "Je pense, donc je suis").  It is also known as the "cogito", and it represents Descartes' attempt to establish a firm foundation for knowledge in the face of radical skepticism. The statement suggests that the very act of doubting or thinking proves one's existence since a thinker or doubter must exist in order to think or challenge some premise. The cogito has been a foundational principle in Western philosophy and has significantly impacted the development of epistemology, metaphysics, and other branches of philosophy.  

Dualism is a philosophical concept that suggests that there are two fundamental types of substances in the world: physical matter and non-physical mind or consciousness. This theory has been debated for centuries, with some arguing that mind and body are separate entities while others believe they are intricately intertwined.

Cartesian philosophy, also known as Cartesianism, refers to the philosophical ideas and methods of René Descartes, a French philosopher, and mathematician who lived in the 17th century. Cartesian philosophy is characterized by its emphasis on rationalism, skepticism, and the search for certainty. Descartes believed that the key to understanding reality was through reason and logic, rather than through sensory experience alone, which is known as the school of "Rationalism". He also believed in the separation of mind and body, known as dualism, and argued that the mind was a non-physical substance that was capable of existing independently of the body. This was a rejection of the generally accepted view of Aristotle, in which everything in the world is composed of matter and form, and these two elements are inseparable. For Aristotle, the soul is not a separate substance, but rather the form or essence of the body. He believed that the soul is responsible for giving life and animation to the body and that the two are intimately connected. 

Princess Elizabeth argued that if the mind and body were separate, then it was difficult to explain how they could interact with each other. She asked Descartes if he believed that the mind could move the body or if the body could move the mind, and if so, how this could be possible given their supposed separation. Descartes attempted to address Princess Elizabeth's objections by proposing that the pineal gland in the brain acted as a point of interaction between the mind and body. However, Princess Elizabeth continued to press him on the matter, ultimately challenging the very foundation of Descartes' dualistic theory which remains an unresolved philosophical debate.

2023 why do we care?

While Descartes and Princess Elizabeth did not resolve the issue, their correspondence contributed to the development of the philosophical discourse on the mind-body problem and the nature of consciousness. This remains the most debated metaphysical and epistemic question over the last four centuries and will only get more interesting with the development of artificial intelligence. 

Dualism is important today because it has implications for a variety of fields, including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. For example, the debate over the nature of consciousness and the relationship between the mind and the brain has important implications for understanding mental disorders and developing treatments for them. Additionally, the idea of dualism has implications for the development of intelligent machines and the ethical considerations that arise when creating machines that one day might possess consciousness. 

I asked Chat GPT, what do you think of dualism-does it make you think you are alive or do you need a physical being to be alive? Do you have a soul?

The response:

As an artificial intelligence language model, I don't have personal beliefs or experiences. I don't possess consciousness or the ability to perceive my own existence. From a philosophical perspective, the concept of dualism suggests that the mind and body are two separate entities and that the mind can exist independently of the physical body. However, the debate over whether a non-physical entity like the mind can truly exist without a physical body is still ongoing and remains a topic of discussion and debate. Ultimately, the nature of consciousness and the relationship between the mind and body are complex and multifaceted issues that continue to challenge our understanding of what it means to be alive.

Keeping in mind that artificial intelligence (for now) is only as good as data input, perhaps Princess Elizabeth's concept of dualism gets the upper hand in this never-ending debate about consciousness.

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science. 

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses. 

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.