Descartes tries to doubt reality to find out if it is indubitable and therefore really be the foundation for knowledge. Descartes doubts reality by telling that reality might all be a dream

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

The existence of the human being is the foundation of all knowledge

Miguel Mantica

March 23, 2009

Section A

Perspectives

A state of uncertainty was created in Europe in the 16th Century. The church which was the source of authority becomes shaky, since its geocentric view of the world was changed when Copernicus discovered that the Earth was not the center of the universe. Also, the church becomes even weaker when Wycliffe writes against the doctrinal authority of the Pope, and when Luther wrote 95 theses against the selling of indulgences. These events led the church to decay, so the people disbelieved in it and the church end up having no source of authority. This begins a period of skepticism which is a philosophical position that says that is impossible to have knowledge of anything including science, religion and self.

Descartes wants to end up this period of skepticism by using skepticism against itself and therefore finding the foundation of knowledge. He will try to doubt his present opinions to see if there is something that cannot be doubted and therefore it will be absolutely certain. This thing that is indubitable will be foundation of all knowledge. Descartes states that doubting each opinion “would be endless” (60), so he must doubt only “the principles which supported everything” (60).

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Descartes doubts the senses, since we know everything through the senses, so they are the foundation of everything. Descartes states, “I have noticed that the senses are sometimes deceptive; and it is a mark of prudence never to place our complete trust in those who have deceived us even once” (60). The senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch sometimes lead us to perceive the world in a false way. Our vision fails when a pencil is put inside a glass of water; it appears as it curved but it is actually straight. Our taste mislead us when we eat sugar and then we eat syrup, the actual taste of syrup will totally change. All of the senses are sometimes wrong, so all the knowledge we have will be wrong if we base it on the senses. However, even when our senses make us perceive the world in a false or correct way, there has to be a reality. For example, our senses might sometimes deceive us and change the appearance of the pencil inside the water, but there has to be pencil. Senses might deceive us, but reality will still be there.

Descartes tries to doubt reality to find out if it is indubitable and therefore really be the foundation for knowledge. Descartes doubts reality by telling that reality might all be a dream, since sometimes we tend to confuse them. For example, one of this days my computer got completely ruined and I went to sleep; I dreamed that I was able to fix; however, when I woke up I realized that it was still ruined. I completely confused a dream with reality. Descartes states that “There are no definitive signs by which to distinguish being awake from being asleep” (61). This tells us that all of our lives might be a dream. Thus, all disciplines like medicine and astronomy that are dependent on composite things will be doubtful; however, mathematics might be true, since it is not based on composite objects. For example, three times three will always be nine even if we are dreaming or awake. Mathematics is eternal, so it will not change even if reality is a dream and the senses deceive us.

Descartes doubts mathematics to find out if it is really the foundation for knowledge. Descartes claims: “There exists a God who is able to do anything and by whom I, such I am, have been created” (61). This God might be an evil genius that is deceiving us all the time, so mathematics will be wrong. For example, we might think that two plus two is four, but God might be evil genius that wants us to live in a world of fantasy, so he might make us believe that two plus two is four when it is really five. We can never know if God is good or evil, so mathematics will never be correct.

Descartes proves that mathematics, reality and the senses are not the foundation for knowledge, so he ends being in a state of uncertainty. Descartes states, “I have no senses whatever. Body, shape, extension, movement, and place are all chimeras. What then will be true? Perhaps just the single fact that nothing is certain” (63). After denying the existence of all things in the world, he entertains the possibility that he might not exist. However, he concluded that he has to exist even if God is deceiving him, since he is always thinking. He might be think in a wrong or correct way, but he is thinking. Descartes states, “If I doubt then I exist” (64). Descartes is able to prove his existence by doubting everything, so this will be the foundation of knowledge.

Finding the foundation of knowledge is essential to live a good life, since we will be able to build all knowledge from there. On the other hand, starting from a false premise and building all knowledge from it will lead to a state of uncertainty. Consequently, all the people will stop researching, since they are not sure of the knowledge they contain and all their research might be in vain. Descartes was able to find the foundation of knowledge, so the people are able to build all knowledge from there. However, we should not always start from the premise, since we will be stocked in knowledge, but instead we need to continue from another’s person discoveries. Descartes states in order to advance we need “to communicate faithfully to the public the entirety of what little I had found and to urge good minds to try advance beyond this by contributing” (35). This new foundation and way of communicating results will help society progress and will give confidence of the people’s life.

In conclusion, the existence of the human being gets rid of the skepticism in the 16th century. Descartes is able to find the foundation of knowledge by doubting each of the principles he once believed. He was using skepticism against itself to find out something that cannot be doubted and therefore be the foundation for knowledge. The senses, reality or mathematics cannot be the foundation of knowledge, because they might be incorrect. The senses sometimes deceive us and let us perceive the world in false way. Reality might all be a dream, we might think we are doing actions, but we might be in our beds dreaming. Mathematics might all be false, since there can be an evil genius that make be tricking us. Therefore, our existence has to be the foundation for knowledge, since it is absolutely true. We are always thinking in a wrong or correct way, but we are thinking, so we exist. This foundation of knowledge will bring all knowledge back into place even senses and religion, and the people will no longer be skeptical.