Final answer:
Descartes uses the analogy of the “thinking thing” to argue for mind/body dualism, claiming that the mind is a non-material substance distinct from the physical body. His statement 'I think, therefore I am' suggests that the mind exists independently of the body. However, this view is contested by modern scientific understanding of the brain and thought processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The analogy René Descartes uses to prove mind/body dualism revolves around the concept of the “thinking thing”, or res cogitans, as distinct from the physical body, or res extensa. Descartes argues in his “Meditations on First Philosophy” that the mind or soul exists prior to and separate from the body, and is thus immortal. He claims that the essence of the self is the “thinking thing” and it does not require a physical form to exist, as demonstrated by the statement “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am).
This philosophical stance is known as substance dualism, where the self is considered an eternal entity that is fundamentally non-material and is capable of thinking, imagining, hoping, and feeling, independent of the physical body and brain. Modern science, however, provides significant evidence that thought processes are tied to the physical structure and functioning of the brain, challenging Descartes' dualism.