Full Idea
This force by which we properly know objects is purely spiritual, and is no less distinct from the body than is the blood from the bones.
Gist of Idea
The force by which we know things is spiritual, and quite distinct from the body
Source
René Descartes (Rules for the Direction of the Mind [1628], 12)
Book Reference
Descartes,René: 'Rules for the Direction of the Mind' [Newcomb Library 2023], p.36
A Reaction
This firmly contradicts any physicalism I thought I detected in Idea 24027! He uses the word 'spiritual' of the mind here, which I don't think he uses in later writings.
Related Ideas
Idea 24027 Nerves and movement originate in the brain, where imagination moves them [Descartes]
Idea 24026 Our four knowledge faculties are intelligence, imagination, the senses, and memory [Descartes]