Descartes' Philosophical Journey into Doubt

Rene Descartes, author of "Meditation 1", composes how he must eliminate everything he had actually ever learned and thought to hold true and need to "begin again from the very first structures" (222 ). One may ask how Descartes concerned this conclusion. The response is that of he "realized how many were the false viewpoints that in [his] youth [he] required true, and therefore how skeptical were all the things that [he] subsequently built upon these opinions" (222 ). This change was to take location at the best time in Descartes life nevertheless, he squandered much time awaiting that moment Descartes chose to just let go of it.

He began questioning whatever he ever thought in. Descartes raised one particular question: How does one justify being awake from dreaming? He gives an example specifying "that I am here, clothed in my dressing dress, seated at the fireplace, when in truth I am lying undressed between he blankets!" (222 ). Descartes explains how a dream might feel so genuine, one may really think their dream remains in fact truth.

Get quality help now

Bella Hamilton

Verified writer

Proficient in: Free Essays

5 (234)

“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

He goes on further stating "clearly that there are no certain signs to distinguish being awake from being asleep that I am rather astonished, and this astonishment practically convinces me that I am sleeping" (222 ).

This all lead to Descartes creating a theory that "perhaps we do not even have these hands, or any such body at all" (223 ). He started questioning the presence of God too, wondering whether or not he existed or if the heavens and earth were actually there.

More questioning followed asking himself "how do I understand that I am not deceived whenever I include 2 and 3 or count the sides of a square or carry out an even simpler operation?" (203 ).

What Descartes became specific of was that a wicked genius "as clever and sly as he is powerful, who had actually directed his whole effort to misguiding me" (224) and a conclusion was made that he would "regard [himself] as having no hands, no eyes, no flesh, no blood, no senses, however as nevertheless falsely thinking that [he] possess [es] all these things" (224 ). Descartes thinking in my opinion is false for the many part. I would have to agree with him that people ought to in some cases analyze their belief to see whether it is precise.

People dream of things that seem very realistic as if it were actually happening however, once they are awake they can distinguish what was reality and what was a dream. Sometimes being fooled by a dream doesn't come to the conclusion that everything around us and everything we believe does not actually exist. However, it is possible to also dream that one woke up in their dreams remembering the dream they were having. The dream may have felt real but in the end they when they were awake the difference between reality and dream could be pointed out.

Someone can not be 100 percent sure of something but they can be confident about what they believe is real vs. dream. A person who has a hand is aware of it. All the physical ways to know a hand is there exists. They can see it, feel it, touch it, and use it. The question Descartes raises says that even though we can see a hand how do we know it is truly there and it isn't our imaginations or a dream. Reality is what it is. We know we are not dreaming because of the details we see in reality and the pain we feel. It is also possible to be fooled by a dream sometimes thinking something is actually occurring when it isn't.

I know my hand is there because I believe it is and am certain of it unless there is someone who can give evidence proving my belief is false. All rational people would agree with me. There is no sure way of proving that my hand is there because in this world there are many things that cannot be proven even though we know for a fact they exist. There is no sure way to prove if anything exists. There is no proof that we are not controlled by an evil scientist or that our brains our controlled by another making us feel and think things that actually aren't there.

The only thing a person can rely on is there senses and experiences. They must trust that something is there and it is in fact reality. If one goes on doubting everything and anything around them then they also doubt themselves. If one believes nothing exists they themselves don't exist which is false because they do. If they do not exist then it would not be possible for them to have these thoughts. Overall a hand is a hand. It exists. It is made up of fingers and nerves which we use day after day. If it didn't exist no one would be capable of doing much in their lives without their hands.

How would one be able to type, or play the piano, or even write a story? Descartes believed he had no hands, then how were his thoughts and feelings written down if they do not exist? I believe that our hands do exist however, there might be a chance that my hands and other things are controlled by someone else but it is not likely the case. Nothing can be for certain unless there is actual proof and evidence proving whether it is true or not. We must trust our instincts and everything around us to guide us in believing the right and accurate things.

Descartes might say in response to my reasoning that I am false and my reasoning is unjust and inaccurate. He would most likely give counterexamples to falsify my reasoning. I would then ask him how he has been able to eat without hands or how a person might drive a car? I would be most anxious to hear what answers he would come up with . Reality is, if no one had hands the world would not exist.

1. Descartes, Rene. "Meditation 1. " Twenty Questions: An Introduction To Philosophy. Ed. Steve Wainwright. 5th ed. Belmont: Holly J. Allen, 2004. 221-25.