Since the philosophy was first implemented as a science, the question of correlation and interrelation between human body and mind preoccupied numerous thinkers throughout the history. Descartes created one of the most influential theories of mind, which prevails to be the basis for subsequent elaborations on the given issue. However, some philosophers do not perceive Descartes’ theory to be efficient, and Gilbert Ryle is one of those thinkers. This paper aims to study and discuss Ryle’s critique of Descartes’ concept of body and mind and to explain the notions of a category mistake and “ghost in the machine,” which were implemented by Ryle.
In the given excerpt from his book, The Concept of Mind, Ryle briefly overviews the Descartes’ perception of the concepts of body and mind. The French philosopher argues that human bodies are situated in space, and they are exposed to the same mechanical laws of nature, which govern every material object of the existing world. On the contrary, the human mind is not presented anywhere in the space as the access to its development and performance is limited to the solemn individual. However, those two opposing institutions are closely connected because the mind does not function without the material sheath and it provides the power of self-movement while the stimuli of the external world affect the body and, respectively, it affects the human perception of the world (Rosen et al. 364). In general, this section briefly but concisely explains the Descartes’ theory.
Further, it is essential to dwell upon the Ryle’s criticism of the described theory. He suggests that Descartes’ approach is principally false, and, to prove his standpoint, he employs the notion of a category mistake. In Ryle’s terminology, a category mistake is a false assumption of considering some object or idea to be included in some category as an equal part (Rosen et al. 367). He provides several examples to illustrate his thought; however, I will provide an example of my own. When a person assumes that “registered nurse” is another subject in their curriculum, he or she makes a category mistake, since it is their major. Thus, based on the given notion, Ryle argues that Descartes’ theory of mind is also a subject of the mistaken categorization. According to Ryle, Descartes considered human mind as another mechanism, similar to the body, but of another kind. This assumption leads to the wrong conclusions since the mental process does not fall into the category of mechanical objects (Rosen et al. 369). Additionally, “ghost in the machine” is the Ryle’s metaphor of the Descartes’ idea of mind, represented as the operator of the body.
In conclusion, it is essential to notice that Descartes’ theory is still one of the most influential and profound theories. However, Ryle’s criticism provides an opposing point of view, which helps to understand the weaknesses of the French philosopher’s theory. Finally, this opposition gives an opportunity to elaborate on personal perception of body and mind interrelations.
Work Cited
Rosen, Gideon, et al., editors. The Norton Introduction to Philosophy. WW Norton & Company, 2015.