Descartes Discourse on Method - 931 Words

Understanding Descartes Method of Doubt Clear your mind, if you will, of everything you have ever seen or known to be true. To begin understanding Rene Descartes method of doubt, you need to suspend all prejudice and prior judgments and start with a clean slate for the purpose of discovering some ultimate truth on which to base all thought. (Kolak, Pg.225). Discouraged with much skepticism from his own beliefs, Descartes was embarrassed of his own ignorance. He set out to try and accomplish the task of finding an absolute truth in which he would base his beliefs. Placing upon himself a task to find an axiom or absolute truth to base all thought, he ventured as a youth in travel to collect a variety in experiences to derive some†¦show more content†¦He basically states in his meditations that if there is a God, and he is perceived as good, why would he deceive our thoughts? This brings up the evil deceiver argument. If we can only know that our existence is real, who is to say that there is not an outside for ce that makes of the rest of our reality that we supposedly live? If our dreams are just distorted pieces of our reality and our reality is merely a show put on by the evil deceiver, we know for certain we cannot base our beliefs on what we see and the tools unto which we use to perceive it; i.e. extension, hands, and eyes. Conclusion Descartes makes it clear that we cannot be certain of anything. The method of doubt brings us to understand this better by giving a set of guidelines to follow to systematically understand and get closer to some kind of truth. By trying to find some truth to base all thoughts on, Descartes tried to find an absolute truth by coming to the realization that nothing he believed was of any truth. Although not finding much truth in his journeys, he found a systematic way to come closer to finding truth. Descartes was presented with a problem of not knowing anything, and by creating the method of doubt he came closer to finding the truth. Works Cited Page Durant, Will Ariel. (1961). The Story Of Civilization. The Age Of Reason Begins. New York: Simon Schuster. Weissman, David. (ED.). (1996). Rethinking The Western Tradition.Show MoreRelatedDiscourse on Descartes Skeptical Method1672 Words   |  7 PagesSebastian Gumina Paper Topic #1 Descartes’ Skeptical Method Descartes’ method offers definitive conclusions on certain topics, (his existence, the existence of God)but his reasoning is not without error. He uses three arguments to prove existence (His and God’s) that attempt to solidify his conclusions. For his method to function seamlessly, Descartes needs to be consistent in his use of the method, that is, he must continue to doubt and challenge thoughts that originate in his ownRead MoreDescartes s Discourse On Method890 Words   |  4 Pages In his Discourse on Method, Rene Descartes asserts that all human beings are equal in their ability to reason and that any differences in opinion are not a result of a difference in ability to reason, but in the application of the reasoning. Descartes begins his argument for this claim by stating that rational thought and reason is what separates humans from animals, and that if all people have this ability to reason, then that must be the distinguishing feature of humanity. 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Descartes attempts to seal conclusions on such questions by using his mathematical knowledge and relating them to philosophy. Traces of such views can be found in many famous works that include the Meditations and Discourse on the Method. Descartes was a firm believer in the view that knowledgeRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes Discourse On The Method Essay2190 Words   |  9 PagesRene Descartes’ â€Å"Discourse on the Method† focuses on distinguishing the human rationale, apart from animals and robots. Wherein, he does so by explaining how neither animals, nor machines possess the same mental faculties as humans. For Descartes distinguishes the human rationale apart from non-humans, even though he does agree the two closely resemble each other because of their sense organs, and physical functions (Descartes, pp22). Nevertheless, it is because the mechanical lacks a necessary aspectRead MoreEssay about Descartes discourse on method931 Words   |  4 Pages Understanding Descartes’ Method of Doubt Clear your mind, if you will, of everything you have ever seen or known to be true. To begin understanding Rene Descartes’ method of doubt, you need to suspend all prejudice and prior judgments and start with a clean slate â€Å"for the purpose of discovering some ultimate truth on which to base all thought.† (Kolak, Pg.225). Discouraged with much skepticism from his own beliefs, Descartes was embarrassed of his own ignorance. He set out to try and accomplishRead MoreAnalyzing the Surprise Ending in Descartes Discourse on the Method and the Meditations1051 Words   |  4 PagesSurprise Ending in Descartes In the book Discourses on the Method and the Meditations, author Rene Descartes famously questions the existence of humanity. His most famous quotation, the one for whom he is most remembered is I think therefore I am (Descartes 11). According to this idea, so long as a being has the ability to think then they existed. Animals have brains and therefore they must exist. In order to truly, exist, to be a thinking entity, a person or organism must utilize the abilityRead More The Folly of Renà © Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Folly of Renà © Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy In order to embark on his quest for truth, Descartes first devises his four rules which should serve as a solid foundation for all else that he comes to understand. Those rules are here evaluated in terms of what they fail to take into consideration. The rules are examined individually and consecutively, and are therefore also reiterated in order to be clear about them. Furthermore, the approach of usingRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Work Discourse On The Method Of A Machine1316 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout his work Discourse on the Method, Rene Descartes discusses the things he believes to be true concerning thought. He discusses the things which he believes to be more perfect and the things which he believes to be less perfect (pt 2, para 1). When comparing the two, he eventually comes to the conclusion that things that are more perfect are constructed by fewer hands and have specific purpose (pt 2, para 1). He also introduces in the opening portion of his work that h is opinion of goodRead MoreThe Projetion of the Perfection Paradox1176 Words   |  5 PagesThe Projection of the Perfection Paradox In Renà © Descartes’s Discourse on Method, â€Å"seeking the true method for arriving at knowledge† (p. 10) is the goal in which he states in the beginning of discourse. With that end in mind, by analyzing proofs that Descartes finds it can be seen if this was achieved. The proof that God exist is a defining moment in the discourse since God is continually referenced for origin of true knowledge. The reference to God does not only set the stage for further