Descartes' Error

Descartes' Error: a book by neurologist Antonio R. Damasio, in which the author presents an argument that emotion and reason are not completely separate and, in fact, are quite dependent upon one another and essential to rational thinking.

This is a treatment of the controversial "mind/body" relationship, the issue of the mind/body relationship lying at the roots of psychology. René Descartes – the father of modern psychology - gave us something to ponder about the mind/body relationship when he said: "I think, therefore I am." According to Damasio, Descartes' statement translates into a position in which Descartes believes that the mind and body are independent of each other. Descartes' belief becomes the focus around which Damasio builds his counter-argument suggesting that the mind and body are not independent of each other, but rather very well integrated.