Cartesian dualism,Descartes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cartesian dualism,Descartes - Essay Example But this trend has not been without reason. The different experiences of a person, as each of us experience, makes for the bona fide interest in the topic. There remain consistent scholarly productions because it is, as the most riveting philosophical ideas go, a thought provoking notion that invites and generates the infinite diaspora of the study. The first person (tending in the narrative tone) that Descartes opted to write in made his propositions appear stronger and many philosophers have taken a literal interpretation to his uttered premise and just as many dissections possible. The Cartesian dualism may seem like a strong declaration of an absolutist idea that the mind could exist distinct from the body but this is merely an aspect of an entire argument that has many other elements to it. There is truth that by knowing our minds we find that the body is separate from it. There are many things that we will through our minds which our body then perform, in the same way that what the mind may want the body cannot perform. This finds example in common impediments pertaining to physical incapacities. Stephen Hawking for example is physically disabled but he is still considered as one of the greatest minds in our generation. This is the simplistic notion but this does not make it untrue. In the regard, the brain then comes into the picture as something separate from the body. The brain is that part of the body which compels our body to do what our mind wants it to. The interplay between the body and the mind does not necessarily make them mutually exclusive from each other but on the contrary they work together to complete a whole being which makes for the conclusive evidence of the human existence. Ryle and the ‘mind or body’ contention Gilber Ryle, in deference to Descartes’ duality of the mind and the body proposes that they are not co-existent but instead one must be either one, that is he is a body or a mind but he cannot be both. Ryle writes, â€Å"I am not for example, denying that there occur mental processes. Doing long division is a mental process and so is making a joke. But I am saying that the phrase ‘there occur mental processes’ does not mean the same as ‘there occur physical processes’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (as cited by Steven 159). His opposition lies in the argument that Descartes made a category mistake by associating mental life to logical category when there should only be one. In this sense, the French philosopher is responsible for inventing the mind. The mind is just another substance to correlate and give credence to his case and refuted by Ryle who tends more towards reductive materialism â€Å"where human mind is reduced to the brain† (ibid 160). In this notion, the mind and the brain are the same thing and mental and brain processes are the same thus the suggestion that a person is one or another but not both at the same time. The brain is the central moving force which envelops the mind. Wiredu’s Akan Another position in the mind-body problem can be credited to Kwasi Wiredu who wrote ‘Akan Concept of Mind.’ This is not directly within the realm of a direct rebuttal of Descartes but the same contains interesting insights that Samuel Olusegun Steven found notable in understanding a different perspective to the problem.

Protection and Indemnity Clubs Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Protection and Indemnity Clubs - Article Example Ninety percent of shipowners in modern times is a part of one of these clubs. These clubs also cover the shipowner from liability to third parties, as well as coverage against injury or death of the crew-members. (Finnern, 2007, p. 5). The shipowner becomes both the insured and the insurer, because claims are paid out of the Clubs funds, and these funds are collected from all the members of the Club. (Finnern, 2007, p. 6). A normal clause of most, if not all, of the PI Clubs, is the â€Å"pay to be paid† rule. This rule states, in a nutshell, that if a shipowner has a claim for which he wants the club to reimburse him, he must first settle the claim with the injured party on his own, with his own means. (Hawkins, p. 3). He can then seek reimbursement from the Club for the money he spent out of pocket. (Finnern, 2007, p. 7). The reason for the â€Å"pay to be paid† rule is that the PI Clubs only provide indemnification for their members, as opposed to regular insurance. The difference between regular insurance and indemnification is that, with regular insurance, all claims against the insured are paid, whereas, with indemnification insurance, only the claims for which the insured has already paid are covered. With regular insurance, the insured does not have to suffer an actual financial loss to collect, and advanced payment is not necessary; with indemnification, the insured does have to suffer an actual financial loss to collect, advanced payment is necessary, and the amount that he collects from the indemnity insurance is only as much as he has already paid out. (Finnern, 2007, pp. 8-9). Further, the third party generally has to have a judgment against the insured, otherwise, the PI does not kick in. In other words, if the insured gives money to a third party to settle the claim, but the third party did not first obtain a judgment, the PI may not pay the claim, even though the insured has fulfilled the requisite requirement of payment.