In Discourse on Method, Descartes presents the dualistic nature on which Western thought is based. He has created a sense of reality built purely on the use of reason and doubt to define mind and body as mutually exclusive of one another. Therefore, when something happens anywhere but in his mind, it has absolutely no effect on him. Descartes believes he is able to completely separate himself from external reality and creates an objective outside world where objects external to his mind follow the laws of nature and have nothing to do with his subjectivity. A different sense of reality is presented in saying “something happens to me in the world.” Here the mind is a part of the outside world and other is experienced by oneself, which demonstrates a connection between materiality and senses. Descartes’ views are in opposition to the mind being connected to the outside; he separates the soul as entirely distinct from the body. Through his reason he has come to the conclusion that this “outside world” might not even exist, let alone be part of our thoughts and subjectivity.
Human beings cannot go against the laws of nature or define them with our thought. Self and other are two completely separate entities, and the line is drawn hard and fast. According to Descartes, consciousness is not subjective to natural laws. The laws of nature mandate a relationship of causality, where the result is the same no matter how it is interpreted. In order to arrive at this conception of reality, Descartes isolated himself from the outside world, and turned to complete internal reflection and thought. Through this sense of reality, Western thought now views that in everyday life experiences are demonstrated by how the outside world affects us, by how other is experienced by me.
One of the main contradictions to Descartes’ logic is the inability to physically separate mind and body. Descartes is able to believe that the material body and the thinking mind do not relate to one other, and relies on God for an explanation as to why they both exist in one human being. This is where the Bororo and the I Ching can relate to the view of duality; both present two entities that are completely opposite one another. However, now these two entities rely on each other to create a true whole.
The Bororo have a strong view of good and bad in their society, but without one the other would cease to exist. Although women are viewed as bad due to their association with decay and degeneration, both man and parrot rely on women for care. Likewise, women need men to reproduce, as well as to keep good spirit around, just as they need parrots. Through this sense of reality the connection between man and parrot is clear. Their dependent relationship with women proves not that good spirits and bad spirits are in opposition to one another, but that they must come together as one.
Similarly, the I Ching presents two parts that are equally symmetric and each demonstrate qualities of one half of the universe. Therefore, one cannot exist without the other. The yin-yang symbol shows the interconnectivity with the fluid lines and sharing of positive and negative space. The reality implicit in the I Ching is based on a connection in a substantial bodily way, where the individual and sense of self cannot be self contained. Unlike Descartes’ dependence on reason, interpretation of the I Ching relies on intuition and the ability to clear the mind and disconnect from thoughts. The answers of the I Ching are not deterministic, but show the synchronicity of the universe, and lines have the ability to change. This oracle shows that the yin and the yang, the two parts of reality, come together to predict a unique event.