{"product_id":"what-am-i","title":"What Am I?","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. How 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? For 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. Almog'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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Joseph Almog","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43573474852925,"sku":"9780195177190","price":103.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0597\/7689\/2989\/files\/9780195177190.jpg?v=1788523681","url":"https:\/\/www.palmleaf.com.au\/products\/what-am-i","provider":"Palmleaf","version":"1.0","type":"link"}