Trialism in philosophy was introduced by John Cottingham as an alternative interpretation of the mind–body dualism of Descartes.
This allows animals, which do not think like humans, to be regarded as having sensations and not as being mere automata.
[citation needed] Cottingham introduced this term after noting that Descartes' account of sensation and imagination has placed his official dualism under considerable pressure: "Partly as a result of this, we often see the emergence, in Descartes’ writings on human human psychology, of a grouping of not two but three notions – not a dualism but what may be called a ‘trialism’.
"[1][2] According to Cottingham, Descartes added the third notion of sensation "alongside thought and extension without proceeding to reify it as a separate substance".
[3] Thinkers such as Daniel Garber and Tad Schmaltz supported this by citing a letter in the correspondence between Descartes and Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, which indicated that he changed his mind from a dualistic view.