Descartes' dualism and contemporary dualism

Abstract

After drawing a distinction between two kinds of dualism - numerical dualism (defined in terms of identity) and modal dualism (defined in terms of supervenience) - we argue that Descartes is a numerical dualist, but not a modal dualist. Since most contemporary dualists advocate modal dualism, the relation of Descartes' views to the contemporary philosophy of mind are more complex than is commonly assumed.