Discourse on the method
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Assignment 1 Essay
Descartes' Discourse on the Method Part IV
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In 1637 Philosopher Rene Descartes set out on a mission to apply mathematics and logic to understanding the natural world. In his search to confirm the truth about God and his existence, he uses principles that were already known but tries to verify them using truths. In part four of the "Discourse" Descartes takes away all sensory knowledge such as sight and hearing; these senses can deceive all reasoning since people continuously make mistakes in their reasoning. At the beginning of the report he seriously tries to find a solution for his thoughts. Descartes is so desperate that he even tries to figure out a reasoning for his own existence. He pretends that everything that has ever entered his mind is just illusions brought on by dreams. (Descartes, n.d) Later in part four Descartes seems to confuse himself when he argues that God confirms the truth of clear and distinct perceptions. For example," I observed that there is nothing at all in the proposition, ' I am thinking, therefore I exist' to assure me that I am speaking the truth, except that I see very clearly that in order to think it is necessary to exist, " ( Descartes, n.d. pg. 15). He suggests that without God clear and distinct perceptions can not be true. But up to this point Descartes has not been able to prove the existence of God any other way other then he exists by appealing to a clear and distinct perception. So if God is the origin of all truth, clear and distinct perception and all then how can he prove that god exists. The surprise ending comes when Descartes states that his ideas of existence were placed in him by God. Descartes thinks this because there is no other way for him to think that way, and God is perfect. Descartes came to realization after he reasoned that he was thinking so therefore he must exist. (Descartes, n.d). Descartes reasoned that there had to be someone or
Assignment 1 Essay
Descartes' Discourse on the Method Part IV
1
In 1637 Philosopher Rene Descartes set out on a mission to apply mathematics and logic to understanding the natural world. In his search to confirm the truth about God and his existence, he uses principles that were already known but tries to verify them using truths. In part four of the "Discourse" Descartes takes away all sensory knowledge such as sight and hearing; these senses can deceive all reasoning since people continuously make mistakes in their reasoning. At the beginning of the report he seriously tries to find a solution for his thoughts. Descartes is so desperate that he even tries to figure out a reasoning for his own existence. He pretends that everything that has ever entered his mind is just illusions brought on by dreams. (Descartes, n.d) Later in part four Descartes seems to confuse himself when he argues that God confirms the truth of clear and distinct perceptions. For example," I observed that there is nothing at all in the proposition, ' I am thinking, therefore I exist' to assure me that I am speaking the truth, except that I see very clearly that in order to think it is necessary to exist, " ( Descartes, n.d. pg. 15). He suggests that without God clear and distinct perceptions can not be true. But up to this point Descartes has not been able to prove the existence of God any other way other then he exists by appealing to a clear and distinct perception. So if God is the origin of all truth, clear and distinct perception and all then how can he prove that god exists. The surprise ending comes when Descartes states that his ideas of existence were placed in him by God. Descartes thinks this because there is no other way for him to think that way, and God is perfect. Descartes came to realization after he reasoned that he was thinking so therefore he must exist. (Descartes, n.d). Descartes reasoned that there had to be someone or