Paper
Can you doubt that the material world exists? If you can’t, does it follow that Descartes’ method of doubt is useless?It is very difficult to know for certain if the material world exists or not because we are dealing with metaphysical philosophy. Metaphysical philosophy is the branch of philosophy concerned with the basic nature of reality. Its aim is to give a systematic account of the world and the principles that govern it Rene Descartes, a French philosopher during the 17th century came up with many arguments concerning existence. Descartes is called a dualist because he claimed that the world consists of two basic substances, matter and spirit. Matter is the physical universe, of which our bodies are a part. The human mind, or spirit, interacts with the body but can, in theory, exist without it, Descartes argued. Descartes wrote pieces of writing known as ?The Six Meditations.? During these meditations he attempted to rule out anything that can be doubtful. ?So, for the purpose of rejecting all my opinions, it will be enough if I find each of them at least some reason for doubt,? he commented. The results of these meditations will be discussed in detail. Although Descartes is very influential to modern philosophy, it came with a price. Many philosophers attacked Descartes? arguments critically. One example where Descartes? arguments have been attacked is in the book by John Cottingham. These arguments will be discussed further in this essay.
In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes first considered the strongest reasons that might be used to show that he could never be certain of anything. He clarifies that everything that humans accept as true have been acquired from the senses or through the senses. Although our senses are our most ?trustworthy friend,? they tend to deceive us from time to time. ?It is prudent never to trust completely those who have deceived us even once ,? Descartes argues. In mentally sane beings, the best example where our senses may have deceived us is in our dreams. When we dream, we rarely know we are actually dreaming. So in turn, while dreaming, we are perceived with a ?false? reality. These arguments included the idea that perhaps we might be dreaming, so that nothing we seem to perceive is real. There are though universal laws in which even if our physical existence is doubted still exist. For example, Mathematics and Geometry would still exist because it does not rely on matter. Two plus two would still equal four as well as the fact that a square will always have four sides. Back to the meditation, Descartes reflected that perhaps God or some evil demon was constantly tricking his mind, causing him to believe what was false. Yet, it cannot be God because according to Descartes, God is supremely good.
Descartes commences the Second meditation saying, ?Anything of the slightest doubt I will set aside just as if I had found it to be wholly false.? In another words, he will attempt to disregard anything that can be categorised as doubtful. One thing, Descartes argues can exist without doubt, one?s existence. Nothing can make him doubt that. Descartes then introduced the famous Latin phrase cogito ergo sum, which means I think, therefore I am. Analysing Descartes arguments, it is clear that one can doubt the existence of a physical world. Descartes gives the example of a piece of wax. When he first perceives the wax, it is hard, has a certain colour, shape and other qualities. However when he puts that same wax next to the fire all it?s primary and secondary qualities change. It is not hard anymore; colour, shape and other qualities have changed. Nevertheless we still know that it is the same wax before we put it next to the fire. Our mind can understand that but our senses cannot.
Many philosophers, on the other hand, disagree with Descartes. For example, the main objection to Descartes theories is the phrase, ?See to believe.? One cannot assume something without actually experiencing it for themselves. In the case of the evil demon, evidence is needed to prove that it actually exists. If there were even the slightest evidence, maybe its existence can be argued upon but the truth is that there is no proof that this demon exists (although physical proof is sometimes not sufficient, for example, in the case of God). If there is a deception, there must be some way to know whether one has been deceived. Otherwise the word ?deception? doesn?t distinguish anything from anything else. For example, walking in the desert, one sees water but getting closer to it, it disappears and found out its only a mirage. He/she has found out that he/she has been deceived. In the case of the evil demon, there is no proof that we are being tricked, as mentioned before. As written earlier, Descartes believed that existence may be just a dream but again many believe it is very doubtful. Many believe that dreams are just a reflection of ?real? life. In another words, we dream what we have experienced when awake. Dreams also lack the ?massiveness and the tremendous degree of internal co-herence that waking-life experiences rather than dreams. ? In another words, dreams lack things such as laws of gravity and ?realness? that are associated with ?real? life. John Cottingham criticises Descartes in many ways. For example, Descartes points out that the reliability of the intellect is much greater than that of the senses. The question is how the intellect can doubt the senses if we take in our information from our senses and only our senses. Another objection is that from the fact that we are thinking does not seem to be entirely certain that we exist. For in order to be certain that one is thinking one must know what thought or thinking actually is as well as what our existence is .
All in all, Descartes? work is very influential to modern philosophy. As John Stuart Mill once said, in an argument no one is 100% correct or incorrect, so there it would be unwise to discard anyone?s opinion. For all humans know, Descartes? may be wrong or not but his method of doubt is definitely not useless. In another words, in light of these arguments, it seems that the most plausible position is to keep an open mind.
348
Другие работы по теме:
Ren Descartes Essay Research Paper Prove
Ren Descartes Essay, Research Paper Prove It I dare YOUProve It, I Dare YouFor many years philosophers have disputed argued, dissected and used countless of other devices in order to prove God’s existence. Is there someone or something that has been there since time started? All my life I was raised to believe that God exists.
Descartes Existence Of God Essay Research Paper
The existence of God has been a question since the idea of God was conceived. Descartes tries to prove Gods existence, to disprove his Evil demon theory, and to show that there is without a doubt something external to ones own existence. He is looking for a definite certainty, a foundation for which he can base all of his beliefs and know for a fact that they are true.
Descartes Essay Research Paper The way Descartes
Descartes Essay, Research Paper The way Descartes chose to write this piece literature captivated me. Descartes was a very intelligent man who wanted to make sense of the world he lived in. The format he used was unusual. It seems to me that he may have used this format, which is a replication of the book of Genesis in the Bible, to have a deeper and more profound impact on the reader.
Innate Ideas Rene Descartes And John Locke
Essay, Research Paper Throughout the passage of time, philosophers have written and discussed many topics in philosophy. Sometimes, these philosophers agree on ideas or sometimes they make their own assumptions. There are two philosophers who had different ideas concerning where innate ideas come from and how we get these types of ideas.
How Can We Be Certain That Physical
Objects Exist? Essay, Research Paper In his sixth meditation Descartes must return to the doubts he raised in his first one. Here he deals mainly with the mind-body problem and tries to prove whether material things exist with certainty. In this meditation he develops his dualist argument; by making a distinction between mind and body; although he also reveals that the are significantly related.
Only The Mind Percives Essay Research Paper
Descartes’ overall objective in Meditations on First Philosophy is to question knowledge. To explore such issues as the existence of God and the separation of mind and body, it was important for him to distinguish what we can know as truth. He believed that reason as opposed to experience was the source for discovering what is of absolute certainty.
Comparison Of Descartes And Heidegger Essay Research
Paper According to Descartes, the essence of material substance is simply extension, the property of filling up space. (Med. V) So solid geometry, which describes the possibility of dividing an otherwise uniform space into distinct parts, is a complete guide to the essence of body. It follows that there can be in reality only one extended substance, comprising all matter in a single spatial whole.
Descartes Disposal Of Formal Causality Essay Research
Paper Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on the Method ultimately desires to achieve deep understanding about the nature of everything including God, the physical world, and himself. Indeed, it is only with a clear and distinct knowledge of such things that he can then begin to understand his true reality.
DESCARTES APPLIED TO BIOLOGY Essay Research Paper
The Methods of Descartes Applied to the World of Biology Descartes method of questioning what is real is a very important aspect of the world of science. I will show how this method of philosophy is crucial to the studies of biology. Descartes said that the only time that something is not doubted is when it is clear and distinctly true.
What Is Descartes Trying To Achieve In
The Meditations And What Is The Relationship Between T Essay, Research Paper What Descartes is trying to achieve in the Meditations can be simply described as trying to find the truth. Although in the printed dedication at
Descartes And Searle Essay Research Paper As
Descartes And Searle Essay, Research Paper As a psychology major, one of topics that I find most interesting in philosophy is the mind/body problem. This can be defined as the relationship between the immaterial mind and the material body.
Rene Descartes The Search Of Knowledge Essay
, Research Paper As I sit and ponder how I am going to write this paper, it accurse to me that I may not be writing this paper at all. How, I ask myself, can this be possible? I can feel the keys under my fingers, hear their distinct clicks as I press them, and I can see my writing on the screen. Yet all of these things are sensory based, and I wonder if my senses can be trusted as certainty.
Rene Decartes Essay Research Paper Descartes is
Rene Decartes Essay, Research Paper Descartes is famed by is familiar notion, “I think therefore I am (Cogito, ergo sum.).” It is a conclusion he has reached in his second meditation after much deliberation on the existence of anything certain. After he discovers his ability to doubt and to understand , he is able to substantiate his necessary existence as a consequence.
Descartes And Berkeley On Skepticism About The
Senses Essay, Research Paper Descartes and Berkeley on Skepticism About the Senses The philosophers Geroge Berkeley and Renee Descartes both had strong opinions on skepticism about the senses. In this paper, I
Descartes Essay Research Paper Everyday we are
Descartes Essay, Research Paper Everyday we are bombarded with various forms of stimuli. We see many people, we hear cars drive by, we feel the cool breeze, etc, but how can we prove that we are really experiencing these stimuli? That is the question that Rene Descartes asked some three hundred fifty years ago, is there anything real in this world? Descartes concluded that at least his mind existed because he was thinking, which led to him saying ?Cogito ergo sum? which means I think therefore I am.
Rene Descrates Essay Research Paper While the
Rene Descrates Essay, Research Paper While the great philosophical distinction between mind and body in western thought can be traced to the Greeks, it is to the seminal work of Ren? Descartes (1596-1650) [see figure 1], French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist, that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship.
Descartes And Hume Essay Research Paper There
Descartes And Hume Essay, Research Paper There are three ways in which one is able to find truth: through reason (A is A), by utilizing the senses (paper burns) or by faith (God is all loving). As the period of the Renaissance came to a close, the popular paradigm for philosophers shifted from faith to reason and finally settling on the senses.
Descartes And Hume Essay Research Paper Skepticism
Descartes And Hume Essay, Research Paper Skepticism is the philosophical belief that doubts whether or not any of our knowledge is true. Hume as well as Descartes have a complex relationship with skepticism. In several of their works, the philosophers respond to skepticism through the use of skepticism.
Hume Hobbes And Descartes Essay Research Paper
Hume, Hobbes, and Descartes Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes and David Hume are well known philosophers of the time. These three men were after the truth. The truth about life. The truth about how one exists. The truth about the world around them. They questioned, thought, and reasoned. This is what they did.
The Life Of Rene
’ Descartes Essay, Research Paper Rene’ Descartes was a French mathematician, philosopher and anatomist. He contributed a great deal to modern ideas , particularly those concerned with geometry. He
Rene Descartes Essay Research Paper Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes Essay, Research Paper Rene Descartes was one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the philosophy. Born in 1596, he lived to become a great mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. In fact, he became one of the central intellectual figures of the sixteen hundreds. He is believed by some to be the father of modern philosophy, although he was hampered by living in a time when other prominent scientists, such as Galileo, were persecuted for their discoveries and beliefs.
Descartes Vs Berkeley
03/05/95 Essay, Research Paper In Descartes’ First Meditation, Descartes writes that he has come to the conclusion that many of the opinions he held in his
Descartes Meditations Essay Research Paper Analyze in
Descartes Meditations Essay, Research Paper Analyze in detail Descartes First Meditation and the beginning of the Second Meditation. Do you believe Montaigne could not reply to Descartes and therefore that Descartes has succeeded in defeating skepticism? Descartes First Meditation sought out to offer reasons to doubt everything in order to, after taking doubt into consideration, discover what we of what we believe is true.
Descartes First Meditation Essay Research Paper Descartes
Descartes First Meditation Essay, Research Paper Descartes first meditation, his main objective is to present three skeptical arguments to bring doubt upon what he considers his basic beliefs. Descartes believes this to be an intricate part of his complete epistemological argument. Descartes skeptical arguments are not intended to be a denial of his basic beliefs.
Descartes Essay Research Paper Descartes
Descartes Essay, Research Paper Descartes’ “Wax Argument” In this essay I will refer to the “wax argument” presented by Rene Descartes and explain that it is a valid argument, but not so sound. In Descartes argument, he observes a piece of wax, from a hive, and using his judgment and senses, analyzes the structure and properties of the wax.
Descartes Essay Research Paper Descartes is considered
Descartes Essay, Research Paper Descartes is considered to be the father of modern Western philosophy, he was a man who was both loved and hated at the same time. Descartes discusses many topics during his time and one of them was his Discourse on the Method of rightly conducting ones reason and seeking the truth in the sciences.
Distinction Between Mind And Body Essay Research
Paper Distinction between Mind and Body In Descartes Meditation VI, he takes on the task of explaining his ideas of the distinction between the mind and body. Descartes claims that they are in fact two separate and distinct things. These ideas initiate many objections from his contemporaries because if their very different beliefs.
Descartes Knowledge Essay Research Paper Descartes Essay
Descartes Knowledge Essay, Research Paper Descartes (Essay #1) Rob Hewitt 9711732 Wednesday October 21, 1998 Justin E. A. Busch The question of our existence in reality is a question which philosophers have tackled throughout time. This essay will look at the phrase, cogito ergo sum or I think therefore I am, a phrase brought about by Rene Descartes.
Hume And Descartes On The Theory Of
Ideas Essay, Research Paper Hume and Descartes on The Theory of Ideas David Hume and Rene Descartes are philosophers with opposing views about the origination of ideas. Descartes believed there were three types of ideas
On Descartes Meditations I
& Ii Essay, Research Paper On Descartes Meditations I & II Descartes uses his Meditations on First Philosophy to consider one of philosophy s greatest questions: what is truth? He dedicates this writing to outlining a rational, logical process of determining the answer, as well as his own conclusions in the matter.
The Soul Essay Research Paper Out of
The Soul Essay, Research Paper Out of all the philosophers we have examined in this unit, Ren? Descartes (On Thinking and the Soul) presents the best argument about what a soul and body are. In contrast, I believe that Locke?s interpretation of the body, mind, soul and self was my least favorite interpretation.
Descartes Essay Research Paper Descartes Ren
Descartes Essay, Research Paper Descartes, Ren Ren Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 and died on February 11, 1650. Ren Descartes was a man of many things. He was a French mathematician, philosopher and scientist. He made contributions to the theory of equations and his rule of signs, but the most distinguished contribution that Descartes made to the world of mathematics was analytic geometry.