The Category Mistake of Gilbert Ryle: An Argument in Favor of Holistic Philosophy

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate Gilbert Ryle’s critique of substantial dualism, presented in The Concept of Mind. We defend that Ryle was not attacking the specific argumentation and intentions of the great philosopher Descartes, who inaugurated the dualist mode of thought, but criticizing a general mode of thought, accepted by many, and which he called “the official doctrine”. Ryle’s work allows an analysis of human actions and performances in its totality. In this sense, he produced a holistic philosophy of mind, using an analytical-linguistic method that divides in parts, in concepts, what is a category error, thought.