What Am I?

In 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.