preview

How Does Descartes Use Skepticism?

Decent Essays
Open Document

Descartes is a very famous and well-known philosopher and mathematician from France. It is said that he is the first modern philosopher or father of modern philosophy. One of his greatest accomplishments was finding a way to connect algebra and geometry. He found a way to use algebraic equations in solving geometric related questions. He is almost more known for coming up with the saying “cogito ergo sum” which translates to “I think, therefore I am.” The Meditations is known as his most famous written work. Descartes wrote The Meditations in 1640, it was published one year later. Descartes uses skepticism to talk about knowledge and science. In The Mediations, the Meditator is only looking to accept that claims he’s making as true if they …show more content…

The Meditator believes that while he is dreaming, he is sensing and dreaming of actual real-life objects. That is something to agree with because our dreams are based on things that we hear, see, or do in our everyday lives. Even though dreams are a version of reality, they are an alternate version. Because of this, we can’t always rely on our senses and dreams to grant us basic day to day knowledge. The Meditator gives an example of how he once dreamt that he was awake and sitting by a fire. He was convinced that this scene actually occurred. And of course, it could have actually occurred at one point in time, however, in that particular moment that was not the case. In that moment that he was dreaming this vivid and very real scene, he was tucked into bed and sleeping soundly. It is common for us to have dreams that seem so real that we actually believe they were occurring throughout the night. It is regular for someone to wake up confused and startled because of how real their dream felt to them. Our senses have the ability to trick us into believing that we actually saw or heard something that we desperately wanted to see, hear, or smell. These are known as illusions, dreams, or hallucinations which shows just how fake these occurrences are. This also has a direct correlation to our imagination. Our imagination works closely with our senses when thinking of these false scenarios and making us believe that they are indeed real. Take hysterical pregnancies for example. Women want to be pregnant so bad that their body gives them the illusion that they are. They go through all the same symptoms of a normal pregnancy and actually imagine that they are feeling the baby in their stomach. However, there is nothing even growing in her stomach. Her mind is forcing her body to mimic these symptoms because of how desperate the women wants to be pregnant. This goes to show how dangerous our imagination and senses

Get Access