Descartes' Method of Doubt

390 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is descartes’s method of doubt

Descartes' Method of Doubt

Descartes is extremely important to Western intellectual history

Contributions in physiology, psychology, optics, and especially mathematics

Introduced analytic geometry

Influential in modern scientific approach (can’t just say it’s true, show it’s true)

The Cartesian Method

Descartes is very concerned with skeptical questions

Though he was not actually a skeptic, he used skepticism as a method of achieving

certainty.

“I will doubt everything that can possibly be doubted, and if anything is left, then it will be absolutely certain. Then I will consider what it is about this certainty (if there is

one) that places it beyond doubt, and that will provide me with a criterion of truth and knowledge, a yardstick against which I can measure all other purported truths to see if they, too, are beyond doubt.”

Doubt

In order to doubt everything he could, Descartes used two conjectures

Dream conjecture

Evil demon conjecture

Descartes was just as aware of how bizarre these ideas are as we are….that was his point,

to doubt anything that had even the tiniest possibility to be false

Cogito Ergo Sum

Descartes realized that he could, in fact, doubt “absolutely everything, save one

indubitable truth: I think, therefore I am”

The self that doubts it’s own existence must exist to be able to doubt

Moreover, a self that doubts must not only exist, but must exist rationally (being a thing

that thinks)

The “Absolute”

Once Descartes established that he doubted everything except that which cannot be

doubted (his doubting)---he wanted a yardstick that he could measure all other

things by to see if they are true beyond all doubt.

This yardstick is clarity and distinctness

Those things that are clear and distinct are true.

What is clear and distinct?

Mathematical concepts

There is no perfect circle in nature, but we know what a perfect circle is

God

Descartes, armed with his clear and distinct test discovers that he has certain knowledge

that God exists

3 Proofs

1) The idea of God must come from a reality that is at least as perfect as the idea

2) -I exist as a thing that has an idea of God

-Everything that exists has a cause that brought it into existence and that

sustains it in existence

Show More
Related

  • Descartes Skeptical Argument And Reponses By Bouwsma And Malcolm

    2359 Words  | 5 Pages

    The strength of the skeptical argument lies in the fact that it can not be

    Read More

  • Rene Descartes 'From Skepticism To Conviction'

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Humans have the capability to think for themselves and therefore can be aware of there own existence. In the first essay we studies, “From Skepticism to Conviction” by Rene Descartes, shows the basis of the human

    Read More

  • Descartes Doubt Argument Analysis

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Following Descartes’ reasoning through the 2nd meditation, his doubt argument is: he can doubt that his body exists, but following the ‘cogito’ he cannot doubt that he exists as a thinking thing, therefore his mind is could exist without his body (Clarke, 1988). Descartes’ point of an evil demon causing you to be deceived in all things material is difficult to argue against and his ‘cogito’ shows it is difficult

    Read More

  • Certainty is Decartes' Discourse of Method

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    proving his theory of the existence of God. From the nature of the perfection that God

    Read More

  • Philosophy Of Descartes

    1455 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ideas, innovations, and inventions are all created from brilliant minds. Than how did these ideas come to be? Descartes believes that God is the cause of new innovations adding, therefore God instilled in us the idea of his existence. Explaining, in order for us to draw an idea from a presumption or thought, than an object must have been derived not by us but rather God. An example of his presumption of the existence of God would be the fact that if one cannot imagine a bookshelf without books. Whether one exists or not, it is true than that they cannot be separated from each other. Descartes follows by stating that “he cannot conceive God without existence, existence is inseparable from him.”

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of William James's 'The Will To Believe'

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    hat for a belief to be true knowledge, it must be supported by evidence. Evidentialism also claims

    Read More

  • montaigne and descartes on doubting

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is also important to realize that our mind doubts things because it knows its own limits. Thus since we know nothing to be certain it is important to use softening phrases such as “perhaps, somewhat, some, they say, I think, and so on (356)”. Montaigne was constantly amazed at how much knowledge we claimed to be sure of.

    Read More

  • Descartes Knowledge

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    totally reliable we then have to look at what we know of without our senses. Descartes says that the only thing

    Read More

  • Descartes Skepticism

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    Descartes’ first two Meditations are arguably the most widely known philosophical works. Because of this, one can make the error of assuming that Descartes’ method of doubt is self-evident and that its philosophical implications are relatively minor. However, to assume this would be a grave mistake. In this paper, I hope to spread light on exactly what Descartes’ method of doubt is, and how, though it furnishes challenges for the acceptance of the reality of the external world, it nonetheless does not lead to external world skepticism.

    Read More

  • Weaknesses of Descartes' Arguments

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    Descartes was incorrect and made mistakes in his philosophical analysis concerning understanding the Soul and the foundation of knowledge.  Yes, he coined the famous phrase, “I think therefore I am,” but the rest of his philosophical conclusions fail to be as solid (Meditation 4; 32). Descartes knew that if he has a mind and is thinking thoughts then he must be something that has the ability to think. While he did prove that he is a thinking thing that thinks (Meditation 3; 28), he was unable to formulate correct and true philosophical arguments and claims.  For instance, his argument for faith that a non-deceiving God exists and allows us to clearly reason and perceive was a circular argument.  Another issue with Descartes' philosophy is that he wanted to reconcile scientific and religious views, which is wrong since the two maintain completely different foundational beliefs and they should exist exclusively- without relation to the other.  Thirdly, he believed that the mind was the Self and the Soul, failing to recognize that humans have bodies and the outside world exists, and through which we gain our knowledgeable. Lastly, Descartes argues that ideas are all innate while they actually are not- we gain knowledge through experience.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Cartesian Skepticism Created By René Descartes

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cartesian Skepticism, created by René Descartes, is the process of doubting ones’ beliefs of what they happen to consider as true in the hopes of uncovering the absolute truths in life. This methodology is used to distinguish between what is the truth and what is false, with anything that cannot be considered an absolute truth being considered a reasonable doubt. Anything which then becomes categorized as a reasonable doubt is perceived as false. As Descartes goes through this process, he then realizes that the one thing that can be considered an absolutely truth is his and every other individual’s existence. Along with the ideology of Cartesian skepticism, through the thinking process, we are capable of the ability to doubt that which is surrounding them. This ability to think logically and doubt is what leads us to the confirmation of our existence.

    Read More

  • What is Philosophy?

    396 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Philosophy, we learn that it is okay to doubt things that occur in our lives. It is not only okay but it is a natural response to something you are unclear or uncertain about. Sometimes, though, the build-up of doubt becomes too much for someone to handle so they become suicidal or just give up trying to think about it all together. When this happens, there is a tendency to become cynical, and this is a tragedy because then you feel like nothing is really worth trying to figure out.

    Read More

  • Descartes' Proof of the Existence of God in Meditation Three

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper is intended to explain and evaluate Descartes' proof for the existence of god in Meditation Three. It shall show the weaknesses in the proof, but also give credit to the strengths in his proof. It will give a background of what Descartes has already accepted as what he truly knows. The paper will also state Descartes two major points for the existence of God and why the points can easily be proven false. The paper will also show that if a God does exist that God can in fact be an evil deceiver. The paper will also show that the idea of a perfect being cannot be conceived by an imperfect being.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Augustine And Al Ghazali

    1881 Words  | 4 Pages

    The argument that is used in the idea of skepticism has comparable and incompatible views given from Augustine and Al-Ghazali. Both monologues cover and explain the doubts one should have, due to the

    Read More

  • Rene Descartes's Theory Of Confidence

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Confidence may be defined as believing or having faith in something or someone. Meanwhile doubt may be defined as a feeling of uncertainty. Doubt can also be described as the preliminary point of all knowledge. We initiated our search for knowledge because of our need for “certainty” (Konnikova). In his statement, von Goethe makes certain assumptions. The first part of the quote suggests that confidence is the outcome of little knowledge. The second part implies that cumulative knowledge leads to a growth in doubt. Modern philosophy and science has been formed upon the viewpoint of Rene Descartes (Freeman 1). Descartes reasoned in his thinking that everything can be questioned to its quiddity and state, but we cannot doubt the human being thinking about the nature of the quiddity and state. Thus, we arrive at a certainty. Through this, he was able to build his foundation on the philosophy of “I think therefore I am.” By establishing one thing that he was certain of, he was able to

    Read More

More about Descartes' Method of Doubt

Open Document