Essay about 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 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 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, â€Å"he ventured as a youth in travel to collect a variety in experiences to derive some†¦show more content†¦(Descartes, Pg.19). On the other end of the spectrum, apriori knowledge ,which is an understanding based on reasoning, is a more efficient way of explaining the method of doubt presented by Descartes. Method of Doubt Step One nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On the journey to find truth to base all thought upon, Descartes explains his first step in doing so. â€Å"Never accept anything for true which I did not clearly know to be such; that is to say, carefully to avoid precipitancy and prejudice, and to comprise nothing more in my judgment than what was presented to my mind so clearly and distinctly as to exclude all ground of doubt.†(Kolak, Pg.228). Assuming that everything you see is fictitious, Descartes believed he had no senses at all; â€Å"body, shape, extension, motion, and place are unreal.†(Weissman, Pg.23). Our senses have failed us all at one point or another in our lives, so why use the senses as a base for thought? The most famous quote and philosophy by Descartes in history ever, â€Å"Je pense, donc je suis, cogito ergo sum† (Durant, Pg.639). â€Å"I think, therefore I am† was the first step towards a basis to understand truth, and leaning away from truth through the se nses. Method of Doubt Step Two nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The second argument that Descartes defends is another question posed towards the senses. How can we take anything as real if our dreams cannot beShow 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 Discourse on Method931 Words   |  4 PagesUnderstanding Descartes Method of Doubt Clear your mind, if you will, of everything you have ever seen or known to be true. 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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 good