A Contemporary Justification of Cartesian Interactionism

Abstract

Cartesian interactionism, the position that the mind and body are distinct yet capable of causal interaction, has historically faced persistent criticism, particularly for its perceived violation of physical causal closure and its lack of mechanistic clarity. This paper argues that such critiques, while historically significant, are not conclusive, and that developments in modern science offer conceptual frameworks that revitalise the plausibility of interactionism. Drawing on interdisciplinary analogies from fields such as thermodynamics, electromagnetic mediation in transformers, information transmission in telecommunications, and the mathematical concept of continuity, the paper demonstrates that interaction across ontologically distinct domains can be both coherent and intelligible. These analogies illustrate how systems with distinct properties may interact without collapsing into each other or violating physical laws. By reframing mental causation in terms of informational modulation, field influence, and systemic continuity, the study challenges the dominant view that dualism is incompatible with scientific understanding. Instead, it proposes a scientifically informed reinterpretation of Cartesian interactionism that is conceptually robust and philosophically credible. This paper thus positions Cartesian interactionism not as an obsolete metaphysical relic, but as a viable and contemporary philosophical account of consciousness and agency.