Descartes.docx
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Descartes.docx
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Descartes
RenéDescartes(1596—1650):
Cogito,ergosum—“Ithink,thereforeIam.”
RenéDescartesisoftencreditedwithbeingthe“FatherofModernPhilosophy.”ThistitleisjustifiedduebothtohisbreakwiththetraditionalScholastic-Aristotelianphilosophyprevalentathistimeandtohisdevelopmentandpromotionofthenew,mechanisticsciences.HisfundamentalbreakwithScholasticphilosophywastwofold.First,DescartesthoughtthattheScholastics’methodwaspronetodoubtgiventheirrelianceonsensationasthesourceforallknowledge.Second,hewantedtoreplacetheirfinalcausalmodelofscientificexplanationwiththemoremodern,mechanisticmodel.
Descartesattemptedtoaddresstheformerissueviahismethodofdoubt.Hisbasicstrategywastoconsiderfalseanybeliefthatfallspreytoeventheslightestdoubt.This“hyperbolicdoubt”thenservestoclearthewayforwhatDescartesconsiderstobeanunprejudicedsearchforthetruth.Thisclearingofhispreviouslyheldbeliefsthenputshimatanepistemologicalground-zero.FromhereDescartessetsouttofindsomethingthatliesbeyondalldoubt.Heeventuallydiscoversthat“Iexist”isimpossibletodoubtandis,therefore,absolutelycertain.ItisfromthispointthatDescartesproceedstodemonstrateGod’sexistenceandthatGodcannotbeadeceiver.This,inturn,servestofixthecertaintyofeverythingthatisclearlyanddistinctlyunderstoodandprovidestheepistemologicalfoundationDescartessetouttofind.
Oncethisconclusionisreached,Descartescanproceedtorebuildhissystemofpreviouslydubiousbeliefsonthisabsolutelycertainfoundation.Thesebeliefs,whicharere-establishedwithabsolutecertainty,includetheexistenceofaworldofbodiesexternaltothemind,thedualisticdistinctionoftheimmaterialmindfromthebody,andhismechanisticmodelofphysicsbasedontheclearanddistinctideasofgeometry.Thispointstowardhissecond,majorbreakwiththeScholasticAristoteliantraditioninthatDescartesintendedtoreplacetheirsystembasedonfinalcausalexplanationswithhissystembasedonmechanisticprinciples.Descartesalsoappliedthismechanisticframeworktotheoperationofplant,animalandhumanbodies,sensationandthepassions.Allofthiseventuallyculminatinginamoralsystembasedonthenotionof“generosity.”
ThepresentationbelowprovidesanoverviewofDescartes’philosophicalthoughtasitrelatestothesevariousmetaphysical,epistemological,religious,moralandscientificissues,coveringthewiderangeofhispublishedworksandcorrespondence.
b.Descartes’Project
IntheprefacetotheFrencheditionofthe PrinciplesofPhilosophy,Descartesusesatreeasametaphorforhisholisticviewofphilosophy.“Therootsaremetaphysics,thetrunkisphysics,andthebranchesemergingfromthetrunkarealltheothersciences,whichmaybereducedtothreeprincipalones,namelymedicine,mechanicsandmorals”(ATIXB14:
CSMI186).AlthoughDescartesdoesnotexpandmuchmoreonthisimage,afewotherinsightsintohisoverallprojectcanbediscerned.First,noticethatmetaphysicsconstitutestherootssecuringtherestofthetree.ForitisinDescartes’metaphysicswhereanabsolutelycertainandsecureepistemologicalfoundationisdiscovered.This,inturn,groundsknowledgeofthegeometricalpropertiesofbodies,whichisthebasisforhisphysics.Second,physicsconstitutesthetrunkofthetree,whichgrowsupdirectlyfromtherootsandprovidesthebasisfortherestofthesciences.Third,thesciencesofmedicine,mechanicsandmoralsgrowoutofthetrunkofphysics,whichimpliesthattheseothersciencesarejustapplicationsofhismechanisticsciencetoparticularsubjectareas.Finally,thefruitsofthephilosophytreearemainlyfoundonthesethreebranches,whicharethesciencesmostusefulandbeneficialtohumankind.However,anendeavorthisgrandcannotbeconductedhaphazardlybutshouldbecarriedoutinanorderlyandsystematicway.Hence,beforeevenattemptingtoplantthistree,Descartesmustfirstfigureoutamethodfordoingso.
4.TheMind
a.Cogito,ergosum
Inthe SecondMeditation,Descartestriestoestablishabsolutecertaintyinhisfamousreasoning:
Cogito,ergosumor“Ithink,thereforeIam.”These Meditationsareconductedfromthefirstpersonperspective,fromDescartes.’However,heexpectshisreadertomeditatealongwithhimtoseehowhisconclusionswerereached.Thisisespeciallyimportantinthe SecondMeditationwheretheintuitivelygraspedtruthof“Iexist”occurs.Sothediscussionhereofthistruthwilltakeplacefromthefirstpersonor“I”perspective.Allsensorybeliefshadbeenfounddoubtfulinthepreviousmeditation,andthereforeallsuchbeliefsarenowconsideredfalse.ThisincludesthebeliefthatIhaveabodyendowedwithsenseorgans.Butdoesthesuppo
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