Descartes - The Mind-Body Theory

One of the deepest and most lasting legacies of Descartes' philosophy is his thesis that mind and body are really distinct - a theory now called "mind-body dualism."  He reaches his conclusion by arguing that the nature of the mind is completely different from the body, and therefore it is possible for one to exist without the other.  This argument gives huge debate of the famous mind-body problem and is still debated today; how can the mind cause some of our bodily limbs to move, like raising a hand, and how can the body's sense organs cause sensations in the mind when their natures are completely different?
Descartes has brief comments on how the mind is united with the body to form a human being, but to me, his theory does make sense, and I agree with his theory to a degree.

Rene' Descartes

Descartes describes the relationship between the mind and body as 'special' and explains his fascination as to how two things so different between them, with completely diverse nature, interact so well together being able to give rise to a human being, capable of having voluntary bodily motions and sensations.

My Views so far...
One point to make about the whole mind-body problem is the fact it is quite religious based.  People who do not believe in God would automatically have a different response to the theory. A definition of 'Real Distinction', says that a substance is something that can exist, with only the help of God's concurrence, so straight away, if this is one's theory, that is an argument in itself.  Why look into what 'Real Distinction' is anyway? This question makes me think as to why it is important to find out why the two (mind&body) connect.  For Descartes, it's a religious idea, that it provides basis for a hope in the soul's immortality, but scientifically, its working out the idea that complete absence of mentality from physical things can prove new mechanistic physics.  For me, it is just a wonder circle of how the two connect but is something I do not really mind not knowing the full extent about. I look through Descartes theory as a medium of finding out more about ideas on 'How' it things happen.

Religious vs Scientific
Descartes says that his purpose in showing the human mind distinct from the body is to show to non-religious people who only have faith in mathematics, is about the souls immortality.  The afterlife to Descartes, is that the mind can survive a decay of the body, but doesn't include destruction of the mind.   Because this religious theory doesn't destroy the mind though body decay, it would indicate they are both separate.  The other motive that the body and mind are separate is the scientific idea.  Descartes understood all scholastics to maintain that everything was thought to have a final cause that is the ultimate end or goal for the sake of which the rest of the organism was organised.  Bodies exist and move as they do without mentality,  the scientific theory of eliminating any element of mentality from the idea of body suggests an understanding of the geometrical nature rather than the religious nature.

Descartes Theories
So overall, after looking at exactly what Descartes thinks and the scientific and religious theories, Descartes has two final versions of the difference in the mind and body. The first one comes from the Sixth Meditation:

On the one hand I have a clear and distinct idea of myself. in so far as I am simply a thinking, non-extended thing [that is, a mind], and on the other hand I have a distinct idea of body, in so far as this is simply an extended, non-thinking thing.  And accordingly, it it certain that I am really distinct from my body, and can exist without it. (AT VII 78: CSM ii 54). 

In an easier perspective of what he thinks in this first version, the three statements 1, 2, and 3 include the quote from above split into simple terms of what he thinks.

1. I have a clear and distinct idea of the mind as a thinking, non-extended thing. 
2. I have a clear and distinct idea of body as an extended, non-thinking thing. 
3. Therefore, the mind is really distinct from the body and can exist without it. 

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There is quite a lot to take is here about this theory.  I do agree with the theory as well, but I am on par with ideas about it as iim sure many people are - I wanted to include this in my blog to prove that i have been looking at theory and theory into body and mind.