Sean Queenan 998364201

Instructor: Dr. Ella Soper

Teaching ssistant: !hris "iu#a
E$%2&9'&S: (iterature an) the En*iron#ent
+anuar, 31- 2013
.or) !ount: 94/
0en1 Descartes2 3ni#als re 4achines5: rticle !riti6ue
The essa, 3ni#als re 4achines-5 originating 7ro# the 7i7th section o7 0enes
Descartes2 philosophical an) auto8iographical treatise Discourse on Method- is an
introspecti*e !artesian re7lection that sets out to ela8orate on 9hat e:actl, )istinguishes
ani#al 7ro# hu#an through t9o #a;or argu#ents. The 7irst clai# is that ani#als cannot
3use speech or signs as 9e )o 9hen placing our thoughts on recor) 7or the 8ene7it o7
others-5 or in other 9or)s using language to #a<e <no9n ones thoughts in a #eaning7ul
#anner =Descartes- ni#als are 4achines- 14>. The secon) #a;or argu#ent 8ac<s up the
7irst- as it asserts that ani#als are #achines in the sense that 3although #achines can
per7or# certain things as 9ell as or perhaps 8etter than an, =hu#an> can ?the, in7alli8l,
7all short in others? =8ecause> the, =)o not> act 7ro# <no9le)ge- 8ut onl, 7ro# the
)isposition o7 their organs5 =Descartes- 14>. ccor)ing to the article- one particularl,
i#portant area that ani#als 37all short in5 is language an) #eaning7ul co##unication-
9hich Descartes #a<es clear )e#onstrates that not onl, )o ani#als 3ha*e less reason
than #en- 8ut that the, ha*e none at all- since it is clear that *er, little is re6uire) in or)er
to 8e a8le to tal<5 =Descartes- 1&>. @pon these t9o assu#ptions Descartes la,s out his
o*erAarching postulation regar)ing ani#als an) their suppose) #achineAli<e nature.
The a8ilit, to reason is 9hat Descartes )e7ines as 3thought-5 an) rational thought-
that is- the a8ilit, to thin< outsi)e o7 the passions is- accor)ing to Descartes- innatel,
uni6ue an) possesse) 8, e*er, hu#an 8eing. Descartes asserts that- instea) o7 8eing
pri#aril, rational- the #in)s o7 ani#als are largel, )ri*en 8, passions- instinct- an)
sti#uli- things that hu#ans also posses alongsi)e 3thought.5 Descartes )e#onstrates his
theor, through anal,Bing hu#anities a8ilit, to spea< an) co##unicate #eaning7ull,
through language. C, 3language5 ho9e*er Descartes )oes i#pl, the si#ple repetition o7
9or)s an)Dor sentences. 0e7erring to the 8iological a8ilit, o7 so#e ani#als to 3utter
9or)s ;ust li<e oursel*es-5 such as 3#agpies an) parrots-5 Descartes asserts that 3it is not
the 9ant o7 organs that 8rings this to pass-5 8ut instea) 8ecause ani#als 3cannot spea< as
9e =hu#ans> )o- that is- so as to gi*e e*i)ence that the, thin< o7 9hat the, sa,5
=Descartes- 1&>. Descartes 7urther e:pan)s on his theor, 8, highlighting the a8ilit, o7
people 9ho are 8oth 3)ea7 an) )u#85 to 8e a8le to co##unicate #eaning7ull,- e*en
though the, )o not posses the ph,sical organs o7 speech that- accor)ing to Descartes-
#an, ani#als2 inherentl, posses. Descartes !artesian philosoph, 8eco#es #ost apparent
a7ter he 8rings into his argu#ent the issue o7 3the soul-5 9hich he associates 9ith the
#in) as the e:clusi*e *ehicle 7or hu#an reason- an) 9hat pri#aril, )istinguishes hu#ans
7ro# 3the 8rute-5 or other ani#als =Descartes- 1&>.
In regar)s to the strengths an) 9ea<nesses o7 Animals Are Machines there is onl,
reall, one #a;or argu#ent that appears to 8e particularl, e#piricall, pro8le#atic- 9hich
is Descartes2 assu#ption that- in regar)s to 8iological )isposition- there is 3*er, little
=that> is re6uire) in or)er to 8e a8le to tal< =Descartes- 1&>.5 This pre#ise is perhaps the
#ost crucial a#ongst se*eral scienti7ic assu#ptions that Descartes 8ases his thesis. 4an,
o7 these pre#ises #entione) in 3ni#als re 4achines5 ha*e 8een ren)ere) largel,
o8solete in light o7 #o)ern science2s a)*ance#ents since Descartes ti#e =1/
th
centur,
D>. Descartes re7ers to the a8ilit, o7 3#agpies an) parrots5 to process- re#e#8er- an)
*er8all, i#itate hu#an speech- o7ten a7ter repeate)l, hearing si#ple phrases an) 9or)s
spo<en 8, people. This 8iological a8ilit, o7 parrots an) #agpies to 3tal<5 can 8e 7oun) in
other 8ir) species- such as the l,re8ir)- 8ut is still ho9e*er relati*el, rare =!hishol#-
60&>. .ithin the larger ani#al <ing)o# this trait is especiall, true. 4oreo*er- #o)ern
science has greatl, progresse) since the 1/
th
centur, D an) has re*eale) that the a8ilit,
to co##unicate is not as si#ple as Descartes2 8elie*e): co#ple: 8iological #echanis#s
an) #ental processes are re6uire) in or)er to 7acilitate hu#an *er8al speech an) nonA
*er8al co##unication- such as signAlanguage- 9hich also re6uires consi)era8le #ental
)e:terit, =Tras<- 10&E113>. In light o7 this the inherent 9ea<ness o7 Descartes scienti7ic
assu#ption=s>- that co##unication a<in to that o7 hu#an speech is possi8le 7or #an,
other ani#als- 8eco#es rea)il, o8*ious. In other regar)s ho9e*er Descartes
)e#onstrates an e:cellent a8ilit, to utiliBe al#ost pure rationaliBation to pro*e his points:
all o7 his assu#ptions o7 ani#als are 8ase) on the scienti7ic <no9le)ge that 9as a*aila8le
to hi# an) other intellectuals at the ti#e- an) thus- one cannot criti6ue hi# too hea*il,
7or not <no9ing 9hat #o)ern science <no9s.
Descartes2 essa, 3ni#als re 4achines5 is perhaps #ost rele*ant to a speci7ic
consi)eration 9ithin the #aterial co*ere) in the course 3(iterature an) the En*iron#ent-
that is- i7 Descartes2 )e7ining o7 ani#als as #achines is to 8e ta<en seriousl,- along 9ith
his assertions an) rational regar)ing ani#al senses- 9hat 9oul) the i#plications o7 this
*er)ict 8e 7or the treat#ent o7 ani#alsF It has 8een con;ecture) 8, scholars that
Descartes2 un)erstan)ing o7 ani#als as soulless- 9ith their 8eha*iour e:plaine) as a result
o7 8o)il, i#pulses an) #echanis#s a<in to- or possi8l, little 8etter than- a 3cloc<-5
9arrants pain7ul cruelt, to9ar)s ani#als 8ecause the, are not reall, su77ering in a
hu#anAli<e sense. In)ee) so#e particular historical sources on Descartes )escri8e the
philosopher as an a)*ocate 7or ani#al *i*isection e:peri#entation: a practice 9hich
9oul) appear per7ectl, reasona8le 9ithin a )ualistic !artesian para)ig# =4eleh,- 26&>.
Gutsi)e o7 these )ar<er i#plications ho9e*er- Descartes essa, Animals Are Machines
o77ers an e:cellent source 7or ho9 preAscienti7ic re*olution European natural philosoph,
percei*e) the nature o7 ani#als an) o77ers a star< contrast to ho9 #o)ern
en*iron#entalis#- in light o7 )isco*eries #a)e 8, Boologists an) 8iologists in the
centuries since Descartes ti#e- currentl, un)erstan)s the science o7 ani#als.
Sources:
!hishol#- . '. 3Hocal 4i#icr, #ong ustralian Cir)s.5 Ibis Hol. /4. $o. 4. =Gct-
1932> pp. 60&A624.
Descartes- 0en1. 3ni#als re 4achines.5 Animal Rights and Human
Obligations. E). To# 0egan an) "eter Singer =2n) E).>. $e9 +erse,: "rentice
'all- 1989.
4eleh, 'assan. 3Silencing the ni#als: 4ontaigne- Descartes- an) the ',per8ole o7
0eason.5 Symplok Hol. 13. $o. 1D2. =200&> pp. 263A282.
Tras<- 0o8ert (a9rence. Language: The Basics =2n) e)ition>. "s,cholog, "ress- 1999.