Título: René Descartes
Seção: Descartes on physiology and psychology
Background: Rene Descartes (; French: [R@ne dekaRt]; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; adjectival form: "Cartesian"; 31 March 1596 - 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Dubbed the father of modern western philosophy, much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day. A native of the Kingdom of France, he spent about 20 years (1629-49) of his life in the Dutch Republic after serving for a while in the Dutch States Army of Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange and the Stadtholder of the United Provinces. He is generally considered one of the most notable intellectual representatives of the Dutch Golden Age.

Conteúdo: In The Passions of the Soul written between 1645 and 1646 Descartes discussed the common contemporary belief that the human body contained animal spirits. These animal spirits were believed to be light and roaming fluids circulating rapidly around the nervous system between the brain and the muscles, and served as a metaphor for feelings, like being in high or bad spirit. These animal spirits were believed to affect the human soul, or passions of the soul. Descartes distinguished six basic passions: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness. All of these passions, he argued, represented different combinations of the original spirit, and influenced the soul to will or want certain actions. He argued, for example, that fear is a passion that moves the soul to generate a response in the body. In line with his dualist teachings on the separation between the soul and the body, he hypothesized that some part of the brain served as a connector between the soul and the body and singled out the pineal gland as connector. Descartes argued that signals passed from the ear and the eye to the pineal gland, through animal spirits. Thus different motions in the gland cause various animal spirits. He argued that these motions in the pineal gland are based on God's will and that humans are supposed to want and like things that are useful to them. But he also argued that that the animal spirits that moved around the body could distort the commands from the pineal gland, thus humans had to 

user: What were some things that Descartes said on this topic?

assistant: Descartes distinguished six basic passions: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness.

user: What did he say about these passions?

assistant: He argued, for example, that fear is a passion that moves the soul to generate a response in the body.

user: Did he say anything about love?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: What did he say on physiology?

assistant: Descartes argued that signals passed from the ear and the eye to the pineal gland, through animal spirits.

user: How did Descartes conclude this?

assistant: he hypothesized that some part of the brain served as a connector between the soul and the body and singled out the pineal gland as connector.

user: What did Descartes have to say about psychology?

assistant: he was among the first scientists who believed that the soul should be subject to scientific investigation.