Essay on Descartes Failure - 4852 Words

Descartes Failure In his Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes strives first and foremost to provide an infallibly justified foundation for the empirical sciences, and second to prove the existence of God. I will focus on the first and second meditations in my attempt to show that, in his skepticism of the sources of knowledge, he fails to follow the rules he has set out in the Discourse on Method. First I claim that Descartes fails to draw the distinction between pure sensation and inference, which make up what he calls sensation, and then consider the consequences of this failure to follow his method. Second, I will show that in his treatment of thinking Descartes fails to distinguish between active and passive thinking.†¦show more content†¦His goal is the betterment of the human condition. A useful metaphor for explaining the Cartesian system is the ‘tree of knowledge’.[3] According to Descartes the roots of knowledge are metaphysics, to which he applies himself in the Meditations. From the metaphysics grow the physics; for they are justified by the metaphysics; the physics are the trunk of the tree. From the physics branch off mechanics, medicine and morals, the fruits of which take the form of utility, that is, applied science, medicine, and applied ethics (on an interpersonal, or international level). The development of these fruits leads to the improvement of the human condition: freedom from pain, sickness and suffering through medicine, reduction of stresses on the body and freedom from physical labour through applied science (which makes our work easier), and freedom from anxiety and mental strain through the development of applied ethics (which helps us to avoid and resolve conflicts on many levels). Descartes uses a reductionistic method. In my criticism I will take up this method as well. Descartes can be criticized on the grounds that this may not be the best method, and is not the only one that has been proposed as appropriate to the task of justifying beliefs.[4] Descartes uses a first person method often called epistemic individualism, in which he takes up the position of anShow MoreRelatedThe Role of God in Descartes Epistemology1356 Words   |  5 Pagesepistemology. Throughout this essay, I aim to critically examine the role of God in Descartes’ epistemology. Renà © Descartes’ epistemological contribution to western philosophy attempted to inaugurate a coherent method of questioning whereby knowledge of the world is attained independently of the authority of the Church or Bible. Strangely enough this separation had no intention on removing god from our lives or minds. Descartes’ project was to prove the existence of God, and to establish that on ly God canRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes869 Words   |  4 Pages Rene Descartes is known as the philosopher of the modern period which starts around the time 1600’s. He is also known as the â€Å"Father of Modern Philosophy†, whereas he is also considered one of the critics of the philosophy of Aristotle. In his mediation of philosophy he has discussed different ideas about the human existence. In the mediations, he has questioned an individual’s idea of perceptions, where he develops the idea of skepticism. Unlike Aristotle, he believes that mind is the first realityRead More Rene Descartes Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesI think, therefore I am Rene Descartes was a man obsessed with finding things out for himself, an intellectual who contributed to the field of psychology. Born in the 16th century, Descartes grew up in a society where ideas, thoughts and perceptions were not questioned but were supposed to be understood and supported. While growing up and through his studies, Descartes began to make strides in the fields of philosophy, mathematics and science. Descartes was a man who challenged accepted ideasRead MoreDescartes Fourth Meditation On The Existence Of God1382 Words   |  6 PagesIn Descartes’ Fifth Meditation, he delivers an argument that has come to be known as the Ontological Argument. It is here that Descartes argues for the existence of God, through a priori reasoning. In order to understand both the strengths and weakness of this argument, I will first break it down into its main premises. From here, I will argue that despite the simplicity and use of reasoning in the argument, the weaknesses ou tweigh the strengths, and ultimately that the argument fails. To allow forRead More How Descartes Tries to Extricate Himself from the Skeptical Doubts He Has Raised4647 Words   |  19 PagesHow Descartes Tries to Extricate Himself from the Skeptical Doubts He Has Raised [All page references and quotations from the Meditations are taken from the 1995 Everyman edition] In the Meditations, Descartes embarks upon what Bernard Williams has called the project of Pure Enquiry to discover certain, indubitable foundations for knowledge. By subjecting everything to doubt Descartes hoped to discover whatever was immune to it. In order to best understand how and why DescartesRead MoreThe Dream Argument by Rene Descartes Essay1008 Words   |  5 Pagesmeditations, is his Dream Argument. Descartes believes that there is no way to be able to distinguish being in awake from being in a state of dreaming. In fact you could actually be in a dream right now. Rene Descartes’s theory that one is unable distinguish being awake from dreaming, as interesting as it is, can be at times a little farfetched, along with a few contradictions to himself, Descartes’s dream argument does not entitle himself to any sort of claim. Descartes wrote the Meditations on FirstRead MoreRene Descartes Ontological Argument957 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Cogito ergo sum† (â€Å"I think, therefore, I am†) (Descartes, Miller, Miller, 1983). Renà © Descartes was a philosopher of the 17th century who made major contributions to the field. Everything from his metaphysical arguments of existence of man to his proofs for the existence of God are still discussed and debated today. In the field of religion, most famous is his Ontological proof for the existence of God. In other words, proof that one can know God a priori, with no experience whatsoever. FollowingRead MoreBlaise Pascal, A 17Th Century Philosopher Known For His1464 Words   |  6 Pagesof mankind ultimately causes him to contradict the beliefs of Descartes who strives to find â€Å"just one thing, however slight, that is certain and unshaken† in order to distinguish true from false with absolute certainty by identifying a firm, solid, indubit able foundation of knowledge (Descartes 63). Almost every claim made by Pascal, including his claim that there is â€Å"no truth that is constant or satisfying†, would have left Descartes in a world of error and turmoil if they proved to be true (PascalRead MoreDescartes’ Cogito Argument Successfully Shows the Evil Demon Argument is Unsound888 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Descartes’ Cogito argument successfully show that the Evil Demon Argument is unsound? In this essay I will attempt to show that the philosopher, Renà ¨ Descartes’ Cogito Argument successfully proves the Evil Demon Argument to be unsound. By an analysis of the structure of the arguments and what they prove, I will show the evil demon argument to be unsound. An argument is unsound when the premises as false and the argument is invalid. This analysis of both structure and content will eventuateRead MoreEssay on Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy2121 Words   |  9 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Descartes believes that knowledge comes from within the mind. This is a single indisputable fact to build on that can be gained through individual reflection. While seeking true knowledge, Descartes writes his Six Meditations. In these meditations, Descartes tries to develop a strong foundation, which all knowledge can be built upon. In the First Meditation, Descartes begins developing this foundation through the method of doubt. He casts doubt upon all his prev ious beliefs, including â€Å"matters