Descartes Rise

11. Explain Descartes's philosophical method and his justification for that method.


Descartes produces a new philosophical method because he believed the old philosophical method had created a structure of knowledge that one cannot be completely sure of. One cannot be completely sure of the old knowledge for it is based on the senses, senses which can be easily deceived, by dreams and etc. Since there is uncertainty to begin with from the ground up on the old structure of knowledge, Descartes believed all of it could not be believed in without doubt. So Descartes attempted to build a foundation of knowledge built upon whatever he could find that could be known with absolute certainty. This led him to coin the phrase "I think, therefore I am" The only thing which he can know for certain is that he is a thinking thing, and since he can think thoughts, he exists. From this absolute certain foundation he deduces further axioms to prove that the external world exists and that God exists as well.


12. Explain Descartes's arguments why the senses cannot be the foundation of knowledge.

Descartes basic philosophical method is to find axioms, rules, laws that one can be absolutely certain of and to produce further knowledge derived from those axioms. The commonsense picture of the world based on the senses does not meet this standard for Descartes argues that knowledge based solely on the senses cannot be known for certain. He explains this through the concept of dreams. For dreams can be so real at times that the dreamer doesn't know if what he is experiencing is all in his mind or a reality, thus proving senses are unreliable.

13. Explain exactly why Descartes, a rationalist, cannot use mathematics as a foundation for knowledge.
mathematics as his foundation?
Knowledge is mathematics based on the senses but sensory experience that can be tested repeatedly and found to be true at all times. It is sensory knowledge for one must perceive sensory data in order to count/calculate objects. The truth of mathematical statements depends on a world where rules, laws, and logic hold together at all times. If logic, rules, and laws were not constant and did not hold together at all times, there will be times when logical statements such as mathematical statements would break down, they would be true one moment and false at the next. Mathematical truths are determined through repeated testing of observational facts in countless number of situations, if at all situations the observation proves the mathematical statement then the mathematical statement is true. Mathematical facts seem to hold more certainty then observational facts for they are easily tested. Descartes still can't use mathematics as his foundation for there can be an Evil Genius which deceives our senses at all times, where one may think 1 plus one equals two, but the evil genius could step in and actually deceive the thinker into thinking logically that one plus one equals two in our dimension but in the real dimension 1 plus 1 equals moraidktenao! WTF? soooo simple! and then transport the thinkers mind into the fake dimension to think 1 plus 1 equals moraidktenao which makes absolutely no sense at all. Thus Descartes cannot even be sure of the mathematical soundness of math itself.


14. Explain Descartes's famous "Cogito ergo sum" argument.

Descartes postulates about the Evil Genius in making his argument that the only thing he can be sure of is his own existence because he thinks. He postulates this being for he creates a possible scenario that would make one doubt every single thing he senses through his five senses. Every belief, every conceivable thing, every line of logical statements are twisted and turned upside down, exploded, imploded and flushed down a toilet if the Evil Genius exists. Descartes proves that if everything through the senses can be doubted, the only thing that cannot be doubted is his own existence because he thinks. He proved this through the saying I can doubt that I even doubt. This is not logically possible or saying I doubt that I even exist. For someone to be able to doubt or for someone to be able to even create a thought must exist. Existence precedes thought, much like energy precedes lightning. I would prove the same thing I believe, if everything I sense or I see hear taste touch before is a lie or a dream, at least I know that it all revolves around me as the central point, not someone else. I don't really know how to explain that one.


15. Explain how Descartes uses wax to establish the existence of an innate idea.
Innate ideas are ideas which cannot be derived from our senses but have been with us in our mind presenses. The other ideas Descartes believes in are perfection. The innate idea generated by the wax example is the idea of sameness. Descartes argues that sameness cannot be derived from the senses by showing that once the wax is melted, all sensory characteristics of it are changed. It holds no physical properties that the wax is the same wax, therefore proving that sameness the idea of sameness is apart from the physical world and that it is an innate idea.(which is wrong)

16. Explain Descartes's "concept of perfection" argument against the existence of the evil genius.

Descartes believes perfection is every negative flaw he perceives in a person to be nonexistent in whatever he believes to be perfect. Descartes categorizes himself as imperfect for he acknowledges there are characteristics about him which he is not proud of or looks at undesirably. He whiches he didn't doubt, had no sin, had more power, more knowledge, all of which are imperfections. Descartes believes that the special concept he think he has is the concept of perfection. He believes he holds this concept for he can imagine what a perfect being would be like. Descartes believes he couldn't have gotten this concept from himself or from any imperfect thing for perfection does not exist in the imperfect. So he believes that the concept of perfection must have come from a perfect being thus proving the existence of God. One cannot derive a characteristic in something that doesn't have that certain characteristic so he believes.

17. Explain Descartes's argument for the existence of the physical world.
Descartes finally concludes that that existence of a physical world must exist. He starts from the doubting of everything he hears sees touches and smells for he proves that any information derived from the senses can be flawed or unreal. Then he proves out one axiom which is that he exists because he is a thinking thing. Then he "proves" that there are some ideas which are innate, apart from the external world, such as sameness and perfection. He then further argues that since he has the innate concept of perfection, this concept must have come from a perfect being for perfection cannot come out of the imperfect. Like how red cannot come out of something that is colored blue. And since he has the concept of perfection there must exist a God who is perfect, for only God is perfect. Then he deduces that a perfect God would not tell lies but would only hold the truth unlike the evil genius thus the external world is not a lie, but the truth which stands before him for it is created by a perfect being.