In “Discourse on Method”, René Descartes argues that animals do not have souls. Descartes goes on to say that one must enclose a soul to have a mind; humans are thinking and rationalizing beings, therefore they are the only ones capable of having a soul. His argument is based on the fact that animals have no intelligence because this characteristic belongs exclusively to humans according to Descartes. Descartes' reasoning is quite logical, but it has its flaws. In this article, I will formulate a critical analysis of his reasoning and expose the flaws in his reasoning. Furthermore, Descartes raises important questions with his reasoning. His view of animals has withstood the shackles of time, even as his feelings toward animals have been a cause of concern to many. Descartes states "that there are no men so dull and so stupid as to be incapable of putting together various words and composing from them a speech by means of which they can make their thoughts understood", however there are no animals among the species that can even come close to doing so. The basis of his argument focuses on the fact that language is one of the easiest tasks accessible to humans, with the exception of animals. Descartes believes that animals, or beasts, are simply machines created by God that have organs similar to humans. Although these organs function in the same way as human organs, they cannot arrange words in an understandable sequence. Descartes attributes this failure to the lack of a rational soul and the ability to reason. According to Descartes, a rational soul is independent of the body and must be "expressly created". He attributes animals' actions to natural instinct and drive, not to the rationalizing abilities of their souls. Nicolas Malebranche, a......middle of paper......Both Harrison and Melehy present valid objections to Descartes' arguments. Both point out the flaws in his arguments without saying that his arguments are completely false. Descartes' arguments lack evidence and examples that can be refuted too easily. Descartes uses the objections that humans overcome to support his thesis that animals do not have souls. In conclusion, I have presented the flaws in Descartes' reasoning that animals do not understand the soul. His views lack understanding of animal behavior and have been perceived as such by many contemporary philosophers. It is a complex and controversial topic that many philosophers and scholars have reflected on, but the soul cannot be merely associated with knowledge and behavior. Descartes' reasons are interpretations of human versus animal interaction, which is why they lack force.