Dewey has a concept of body-mind very different from Plato. What is Essay - 1

Dewey has a concept of body-mind very different from Plato. What is body for Dewey- what is soul Explain how Dewey attempts to account for human intelligence, and why he rejects old notions of dualism - Essay Example In philosophy, the word dualism is used to represent the differences between body and mind. â€Å"In dualism, ‘mind’ is contrasted with ‘body’, but at different times, different aspects of the mind have been the centre of attention†(Stanford encyclopaedia of philosophy-Dualism). Famous philosopher Rene Descartes has put forward the idea of dualism. He believed that mind is a non physical substance whereas body is a physical substance. He argued that brain is the origin of intelligence and the mind, the origin of consciousness and self awareness. Plato, another famous philosopher, supported and elaborated the arguments of Descartes. He argued that our perceptions of distinct and immaterial objects are nothing more than shadows. Even though Plato succeeded in defining soul as an entity imprisoned in the body, he failed to give a clear answer to the question; what binds a particular soul to a particular body. The questions like; ‘what happens to th e soul and mind once the body faces death’ and ‘what happens to the soul and mind if all the materials used in the making of our body is substituted with some other materials from another planet’ are difficult to answer with the help of dualism theory. John Dewey rejected the dualism theory because of the above concerns and argued in favor of a single entity consisting of body, mind and soul. Dewey has elaborated his arguments with the help of following example. The being who eats and digests is also the one who at the same time is sorrowing and rejoicing; it is a commonplace that he eats and digests in one way to one effect when glad, and in another when he is sad. Eating is also a social act, and the emotional temper of the festal board enters into the alleged merely physical function of digestion. Eating of bread and drinking of wine have indeed become so integrated with the mental attitudes of multitudes of persons that they have assumed a