Rene Descartes Discourse On Method

Adrienne Pyle
Honors 200: Dr. Averett
27 September 2014

Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

Author: René Descartes

Translator: Donald A. Cress

Publication Date: 1639

Brief Plot Summary: In Discourse on Method, Descartes starts by affirming that everyone has “good sense,” as is natural of human nature. This “good sense” is essentially the ability to determine something to be true or falsehood/imagination. In order to build one’s self up in education beyond this basic cognitive ability, one must follow a method of studying both the world and one’s self in a manner unaffected by the education one receives. Descartes begins his own method of thinking while in a room heated by a stove. After some thought, he believes that
anything arrived upon by one’s own mind is far better than anything imparted upon by others. Therefore, Descartes maintains four rules for his method of thinking: 1) doubt everything unless it is proved by one’s self, 2) diminish all thoughts to their barest essence, 3) after diminishing a thought level by level, start processing the thought starting from its least complicated essence to its most complex level, and 4) when ruminating upon a dilemma, create a lengthy rational chain and be sure to be thorough in inclusion of all aspects of that dilemma’s solution. Next, Descartes decides that, in order to have a strong moral compass, he will avoid opinions that land him in the extremity of viewpoints, as well as abiding by the laws of his country, culture, religion, etc.; to be thorough and commit to all of his decisions wholeheartedly; to resolve on changing his own self, rather than changing the world; and to pursue with interest all careers. He selects philosophy as the most useful career. Descartes then maintains that nothing is certain to exist through experience of his senses except anything held in his own mind. He knows that he himself exists because he can think. Therefore, he proclaims his famous statement, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes carries this line of thinking into a defense for God’s existence by offering the ontological argument: he states that because the definition of God is that He is perfect, to exist is to be more perfect than to not exist. He can conceive of this idea of perfection in his mind, therefore this perfection must exist. Thus, God—Perfection Himself—exists. Descartes goes on to conclude that the human soul exists and is separate from the human body, which is an extension of the senses (not to be trusted).
Humans, Descartes furthermore claims, are the only being capable of speech, and are therefore the only being that has a rational soul. The soul, an extension of God’s perfection, inherently cannot die due to its perfection, and is therefore immortal. In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes furthers his point that the senses cannot be trusted because he experiences very realistic sensations when he is dreaming. However, because he dreams of these feelings in his body in his mind, these parts of his body must exist. While dreaming, Descartes says, one borrows aspects from reality that must exist—shapes, colors, numbers—and are therefore the manifestation of truth. He goes on to say that he must doubt everything perceived by the senses because a demon must be trying to trick him into believing in false realities. Thinking, he says, is different from perception in the mind, because perception is the intellect making sense of the senses. Thus, Descartes is only sure that the mind exists, at this
point. Descartes then turns back to the certainty of God’s existence in saying that he can perceive through his intellect that he himself is a finite being because he must be able to perceive of something that is infinite against which to compare his finiteness.
Therefore, this infinite being must exist. Thus, the infinite being must be God. The same is true for God’s perfection: because Descartes can perceive that he himself is not perfect, there must exist a being—God—that is perfect, or else Descartes would not have something against which to compare his own imperfection. Furthermore, without the existence of God, the being from which truth originates, there would be no truthful, distinct things in life that Descartes can perceive do exist because he can perceive them in him mind—namely, mathematical equations and science. He then determines that, though the body is distinct from the mind, there exists some connection between the two. Therefore, he is certain that he does indeed have an existing body. This body is an extension of his senses, and thus can be trusted once
more.

Brief Description of Some Main Characters: Descartes: a philosopher, very dubious of the physical world and certain that he is being tricked by a demon. Firmly believes in God through line of rational thought.

Some Themes: Empiricism as untrustworthy: Many times, Descartes maintains that the senses are to be subjected wholly to doubt because they are the most easily duped by a demon of some sort. Anything perceived by the senses must be examined and scrutinized in the mind to determine if that which is examined actually exists.

Science-based rationality: Descartes insists that the only matters that must be true are those which are reasoned to be in existence through perception in the mind. If the senses perceive something that can be rationalized and deemed in existence in the mind, than that matter must be true and real in existence.