Descartes' Dualism

I find Descartes extremely interesting. Cognito ergo sum. I think therefore I am. I remember that from school. Caecilius es in horto scribet. The other extent of my Latin knowledge- if only Caecilius is writing in the garden cropped up more often...

My recent work, handmade machine parts from clay, brought Descartes' Dualism theory to my mind. I began creating machine parts in clay, as I did not like the inflexibility of wood and having to try and find metal parts that may suggest a part of a textile machine. However I am finding it impossible to create seemingly hard-edged, machine- casted parts and then it occurred to me... why would I want to? Craft and the hand-made are returning to the forefront of design and the art world, so by producing parts with an obvious individual quality, I am merely commenting on the art industry. The V&A's craft exhibition, Out of the Ordinary, is a perfect example of this Post Modern trend and the rising price of individual designs is also a clear indication.

The making of machine parts has a peculiar paradox to Descartes' Dualism, as his theory suggested that the body works like a machine, that it has the material properties of extension and motion, and that it follows the laws of physics. Therefore by making the body create machine parts, you are constructing another physical form of yourself. The imagination, the mind, is then the nonmaterial entity that controls the body, though according to Descartes the irrational can be controlled by the body, as is the case when someone acts out of passion. Previous to this theory, most accounts of the relationship between mind and body had been uni-directional. I think this theory is really interesting as humans are so fascinated by technical advancements, especially robots. Perhaps we are merely trying to recreate ourselves. This explanation surely fits the work of Stelarc and Orlan...