In Meditation Six, Descartes argues the distinction between substance of mind and matter. He attributes the doctrine of clear and distinct ideas to the indivisible essence of mind and the faculty of sensation with its potentially misleading ideas, to a divisible body. The result reduces the human experience to that of machinated body possessed by some ineffable, diaphanic entity. While the flaws in Descartes" argument are not as easily discernible as I had originally thought, his attempt at separating mind and body ultimately still fails to meet his own prior established doctrine of causation.
The split between mind and body as separate entities lies within Descartes definition of material and immaterial substances. The mind is an immaterial substance which thinks,wills, desires, reasons and is the whole of our being. Bodies are the material extended mass interacting with other things of extension by use of sense perception. While minds by their immaterial nature are indivisible, bodies can be divided and still function according to their purpose. I may lose an arm or leg but my vessel is still capable of its purpose (perceiving).
The indivisible mind however, cannot be subtracted from it's parts. The unified whole as Descartes refers, is the minds ability to conceive the world; to think. The purpose of minds is to infuse what is perceived by bodies with reason and will. Minds, being capable of cognizance are able to "look in on themselves" and are independent of the body. Senses can be manipulated provoking the brain to falsely interpret what is present. The mind must exist independently so it is possible discern the truth from falsity. .
Descartes believed because the matter of the body was affected by sense perception it presented a far less clear and distinct picture of what is real. God would not, in keeping with his perfect goodness, allow for the distortion of truth without a faculty capable of discernment.
