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cartesian-dualism
The chapter discusses Descartes’ mind-body dualism and its historical impact on separating reason from emotion and the self from the world.
1 chapter across 1 book
Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis (2009)Jeremy Rifkin
CHAPTER 5: RETHINKING THE MEANING OF THE HUMAN JOURNEY
Chapter 5 critically examines the evolution of human self-understanding from the Middle Ages through modernity, highlighting the shift from a faith-based to a reason-based worldview epitomized by Descartes’ cogito. It challenges the Cartesian separation of reason and emotion by drawing on contemporary neuroscience and philosophy, emphasizing the embodied and plural nature of the self. The chapter also explores the implications of these shifts for rethinking human progress, empathy, and moral consciousness in the context of global crises.