Descartes
WHY IS IT NECESSARY FOR DESCARTES TO DOUBT THE SENSES AND TO DISCARD ALL PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE (TABULA RASA)? WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH A DRASTIC MOVE?Rene Descartes, a French philosopher of the Enlightenment, is renown for his method of doubting the senses and discarding all previously acquired knowledge in order to have a clear mind of what is really true. Descartes believes that the only indubitable thing in life is our existence, his famous statement 'I think, therefore I am'. Furthermore, Descartes appears to trust the 'natural light', in other words, the knowledge that we are naturally provided with, for example the knowledge of a supreme being of perfection. Such a drastic move as this has lead to an ongoing debate amongst both contemporary and modern philosophers, who have chosen to attack Descartes' notion of innate ideas, claiming that all ideas derive from sensory experience. Many misconceptions have been formed from Descartes' 'Discourse on Method and The Meditations', leading many philosophers to criticise him without fully understanding his method and his reasons for the use of method. Descartes' 'Discourse on Method and The Meditations' is actually an application of the method itself and his
Science has actually found logical scientific explanations and proof regarding the creation of the world, and many people choose to believe that we are the results of chemical reactions, therefore not believing in a higher, perfect, supreme being. Finally, Descartes' last category is empirical knowledge, which is the knowledge one will acquire through close observation and elimination of all possible doubt. Descartes claims that we should free our minds of everything which can be doubted, and instead, begin from the very few truths we do know in order to discover more. Locke believes that the mind is a blank and that with time impressions are formed upon it so that the basis is steadily created. One reason for this is that before we can decided to doubt, we need some reason for doubting, and that is why in my first Meditation I put forward the principal reasons for doubt. Finally, he suggests making enumerations. Descartes introduces the reader to his method through four principles. That is why Descartes goes against the Aristotelian belief that everything is derived from the senses. This reveals that if something can be doubted for whatever reason, then it cannot be considered something certain. Furthermore, Descartes only finds two initial truths. His method for proving the existence of God can be doubted, since many may argue that they do not possess the notion of a perfect being. Descartes argues that one cannot, for the senses can often deceive us.
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