Method of Doubt by Descartes

regularity of distrust by DescartesRen Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, adopted the mode of incertitude to take a shit the truth. Descartes philosophical attitude started in his youth when he realize that he had been accepting some fictitious opinions for true. He precious to prep be rid of whole the opinions that he had accumulated over the years. Descartes wanted to have a can on which each(prenominal) further intellectual enquiries could be built. He felt reason should follow and arrive at accredited philosophical truths. There should be no further doubts leftover afterwards this, which meant that the foundation had to be depart. This approach was known as the rule of Doubt but his rationale and approach has been a subject of controversy for years.He cerebrated never to accept anything as the truth, which he could not accept as obviously true. Everything should be so clearly presented to the perspicacity that there are no doubts left at all. Anythin g that weed be doubted has to be rejected. Reasons to believe something should be ample. The second criterion is to divide the subject into as many divisions as realizable or whatever would help him to understand it let on. The terzetto step involved directing his thoughts, taking superstar step at a time, to reach the underlying complex cognition. At the end of this, his reviews were so comprehensive, his enumerations so complete, that nothing was left to doubt.The three steps adopted by Descartes is what is adopted in mathematics. He wanted to use this method to reach the truth in philosophy. S V Keeling argues that his method as to a higher place rests on three mental operations intuition, deduction, and enumeration (cited by Burnham, 2006). These operations are base on human reason, on the ability to pass on information, analyze, and review. Since it is based on the capability of human mind, there is a venture of error due to faulty memory.In the Meditations on First doctrine Descartes proves the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. He also brings out the real bank bill between the mind and the body. He starts this by asserting the need to ruin everything completely and start again estimable from the foundations (AT 717). Although the first step was termed as skeptical his skepticism was not for the sake of doubting. He wanted to arrive at the truth by means of systematic analysis and discarding the untruth. Descartes defines knowledge in terms of doubtI distinguish the two as follows there is conviction when there remains some reason, which might wind us to doubt, but knowledge is conviction based on a reason so strong that it can never be agitate by any stronger reason (cited by Norman, 2005).Descartes skeptical approach is based on the principle that there is a distinction between vox populi and truth (Bellotti, n.d.). It was this conviction that gave rise to the Method of Doubt. After making a cup of tea one may leave it to brew on the kitchen table under the belief that it is ready to be poured and consumed. The truth may be different from the belief, in the sense, someone could have poured the tea and taken it in the meantime. The pot may be eject by this time. The Method of Doubt removes all changeable beliefs and whole beliefs that are true beliefs remain. Descartes utilize this conjecture to a root of beliefs so that beliefs need not be dealt individually. A common characteristic could be determined but this excogitation again leads one to believe that doubts would be on the entire group or class of beliefs. Here Descartes uses the malicious lusus naturae thought experiment.Gassendi criticized this theory saying that Descartes could just have regarded the previous knowledge as uncertain (cited by Norman) instead of squelching everything. It is not necessary to consider everything as paradoxical. He felt that such an approach convinces the human mind that there is a d infernal who tri cks us. It is simpler to admit the weakness of human constitution. Gassendi pointed out the ordinary and high-flown nature of the Method of Doubt. Descartes argues that it is not possible to free ourselves of all the errors that the human mind has been soaked in. He securely believes that oecumenic and increased nature is necessary for the Method of Doubt to succeed.Descartes in his argument to burst everything and start afresh applies the universal character and gives the analogy of a basket just of apples. To select and retain the good ones and discard the swelled ones, it is wiser to empty the basket, and so select the good ones and keep them in the basket. He feels this is a better and simpler way than electioning out the rotten ones from the basket full of apples. He believes in first rejecting all beliefs as if they were false and thence after careful analysis, adopt only the ones, which are true. One bad apple can rot the whole basket so if we were to pick out the bad ones, there is every possibility of overlooking one bad apple. On the other hand, if the whole basket is first emptied and then the good ones situated back, we can be sure of only adopting the truth. Descartes method of doubt, as foundation of knowledge does visualizem more effective than what has been suggested by Gassendi. When the basket is totally empty, it can be cleaned and then fresh, good apples picked and placed in the basket. It is a much faster process than negating the bad. Secondly, when the basket is empty, the stains left behind by the rotten apples can be seen and cleaned, which is not possible when the bad apples are picked out from the lot.His argument to discard everything as false relies on his argument that the mind believes on whatever it perceives through the sensual eye. He did not believe that anything should be left to imagination. This has a sound basis, as the mind cannot imagine what it has not seen. In order to uphold that all prior beliefs are wrong, he discussed three stages the sense, dreams and the evil demon hypothesis. Descartes asserts that these do not have the power to falsify what we seem to perceive. What we see through the sense mislead us. We cannot begin with doubt. Descartes fifty-fifty goes to the extent of affirming that even the external world that we perceive is an illusion, a dream and hence false. The doubt has to start after eliminating all such perceptions.The next argument that arises is whether the bring out from hyperbolic provides a satisfactory foundation for knowledge? This can be explained by an analogy of a building, which requires the use of a bulldozer to demolish it. A light bulldozer would make the ground appear immovable. Hence, a bigger bulldozer is more effective, which means the more hyperbolic the doubt, the better it is. According to Descartes, the Evil Genius Doubt is the most powerful doubt. This evil genius makes us believe the false as true. For instance, the transparent tru ths like 2+3=5 or that a square has only four sides, are knowable. For people to know, understand, and accept these truths, they have to be firmly grounded in the face of the most powerful doubts. The evil genius tries to shingle even such hyperbolic doubts. People also firmly sweep the existence of God. Descartes believes that the Evil Genius Doubt is just one of the factors that can motivate the hyperbolic doubt. The basic doubt is that the human mind is flawed, and the mind is aware that it has been distorted despite God having given a nature to turn to him. The human mind keeps remembering all the past incidents and visions, and gives them the right to occupy the mind. It is not easy to accept that the world we see insouciant is an illusion. It is only through deep introspection and a strong go away that a person can accept the truth that God exists and all else is false. He has to be fixed in this belief and arrive at the knowledge of truth. He has to arouse him egotism fr om the deep slumber of falsehood. The more hyperbolic the doubt, the mind is activated better.Hence, the best approach is to discard everything as false and start afresh. Descartes philosophical approach through the Method of Doubt is a sound method. It is in fact the best approach to investigation. It is an investigation of the self by the self to reach the self or the truth. To reach the truth, through the Method of Doubt, an individual has to negate the external world around him. If he feels this world to be true or feels a part of this illusionary world, he can understand or realize the existence of God. The programme of demolition is not only hyperbolic but also universal in nature. To face the Evil Genius there has to be an as powerful doubt. Escape from hyperbolic cannot provide a satisfactory foundation for knowledge.ReferencesBellotti T (n.d.), Descartes Mehod of Doubt, 01 April 2006Burnham D (2006), The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 01 April 2006Newman, Lex, Des cartes Epistemology, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2005 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), universal resource locator 01 April 2006