The aim of this paper is to layout the primary tenets of the much debated mind/body dualistic argument from the lens of philosophers from the ancient epoch but most elaborately from Rene Descartes. The most critical account of the mind-body theory was first systematically carried out by Descartes. To him, mind and body does not only exist, they are distinct and they causally interact at the pineal gland. Through his notion of clear and distinct ideas, Descartes infers the existence of the mind as a thinking substance and the body as an extended substance; hence the two are independent and distinct. This distinction has therefore attracted a lot of attacks. The paper will discuss in broad spectrum, Gibert Ryle most sensational attack on Descartes' mind/body distinction and how he accused Descartes of making a categorical mistake. Response to Ryle's attack on Cartesian dualism will also be given a literary consideration in the paper while the paper will be consummated on a subjective appraisal of the whole edifice. .
INTRODUCTION.
Philosophy is an intellectual and mental activity. It activates and stimulates the mind to reflect, critically assess and evaluates all human experiences and interests. As such, philosophy provides one with no definite answer on any one aspect of human knowledge 1. In its (philosophy) historical metamorphosis, in ancient Greece, fundamental issue of reality, knowledge, conduct and thought dominated the reflection and discourse of philosophy. It is in this respect that metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and logic emerged as the four cardinal branches of philosophy 2. Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge, ethic is the science of human conduct, logic is the science of reasoning and metaphysics is the study of ultimate reality. Metaphysics, which is the interest of this paper studies in-depth the basic assumptions underlying the reality of all things.
