{"product_id":"9780195177190-1","title":"What Am I?: Descartes and the Mind-Body Problem","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn his Meditations, René Descartes asks, \"what am I?\" His initial answer is \"a man.\" But he soon discards it: \"But what is a man? Shall I say 'a rational animal'? No: for then I should inquire what an animal is, what rationality is, and in this way one question would lead down the slope to harder ones.\" Instead of understanding what a man is, Descartes shifts to two new questions: \"What is Mind?\" and \"What is Body?\" These questions develop into Descartes's main philosophical preoccupation: the Mind-Body distinction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow can Mind and Body be independent entities, yet joined—essentially so—within a single human being? If Mind and Body are really distinct, are human beings merely a \"construction\"? On the other hand, if we respect the integrity of humans, are Mind and Body merely aspects of a human being and not subjects in and of themselves?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor centuries, philosophers have considered this classic philosophical puzzle. Now, in this compact, engaging, and long-awaited work, UCLA philosopher Joseph Almog closely decodes the French philosopher's argument for distinguishing between the human mind and body while maintaining simultaneously their essential integration in a human being. He argues that Descartes constructed a solution whereby the trio of Human Mind, Body, and Being are essentially interdependent yet remain each a genuine individual subject.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlmog's reading not only steers away from the most popular interpretations of Descartes, but also represents a scholar coming to grips directly with Descartes himself. In doing so, Almog creates a work that Cartesian scholars will value, and that will also prove indispensable to philosophers of language, ontology, and the metaphysics of mind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Oxford University Press, USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47042035843312,"sku":"9780195177190","price":40.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780195177190_p0.jpg?v=1763663970","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780195177190-1","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}