Chapter 4 covered lots of topics, many very confusing to think about, so I chose one of the Topics for Considerations. After also using the dictionary, to understand if my meaning of the terms was the same as the dictionaries, I figured I can answer this.
Descartes denies that animals have the capacity or a mind to be able: to affirm, to deny, to conceive, to know, to hope, to expect, or to will, therefore according to him they can't have a mind. I disagree.
I have a one year old golden retriever, named Molly. Also before I get going the baby described in this example is my 4 week old grandson who just spent the weekend at my house, so here goes.
To affirm, means to say with confidence or declare to be true, or an expression(as the word of yes) of agreement. When I ask Molly, Do you want to go for a walk, she runs to the door, barks loudly, grabs her leash and brings it to me and sits down expecting me to put it on and walk her. This is her way of loudly saying yes! When she doesn't want to go she will then deny this opportunity by refusing to grant me the chance to put on her leash. In this case she either goes to her bed to lie down or refuses to respond at all. The idea of her being able to conceive an idea, or think comes into play when the baby cries and she barks at me, then runs to the babies side. She knows the baby has needs and knows that a human has to meet those needs therefore telling us in her way to do this. She also knows this and refuses to stop running from adult to baby and barking until we respond which is to have an understanding of, or to know.
When Molly wants to go outside in the middle of the night to relieve herself she is filled with hope or the desire of, or expectation, when she runs to the bedroom door which leads outside, barks, scratches the door and hits it with her tail. She is hoping I will respond and open the door for her. In fact she expects me to open that door, or looking forward to it enough that she gets louder and louder. She shows me her will, (the power to control what one will do) by if I don't respond she then jumps on my bed, then my body and licks my face till I give her what she wants. I would say that I either have a very bright dog or all animals in some way have a mind.