Descartes was not alone in his rejection and
dissatisfaction of Scholasticism. Many philosophers at this time had similar
thoughts but not everyone approached the problem the same. In the case of
Descartes, he looked to his inner self for the answer to his quest for absolute
certainty. Descartes believed strongly in mathematical certainty. He always
considered it as separate from the other sciences because of its certainty.
Mathematical knowledge was absolute and mathematical reasoning was the basis
upon which a metaphysical structure, a system of values and a God could be
built. Unlike Hobbes, and many other early modern philosophers, Descartes
believed that there is an objective, rational order to the world that the mind
understands in its intuitions. As such, Descartes was a rationalist as opposed
to the Empiricists of the time that included Hobbes. I’ll write more on this in
later submissions.
Descartes began his search for certainty by seeking some
metaphysical absolute that is a self evident and indisputable principle on
which to build his belief system. Much like in geometry, you start with one undeniable self
evident truth and then look to other theorems that depend on that truth to
build upon. This is how Descartes hoped to progress. He decided to proceed by
questioning his every belief no matter how widely accepted or likely it might
be. He was searching for an undeniable, absolute starting point. This doubt
also extended to God which Descartes had
always believed to be all powerful and his creator.
Through this process, Descartes realized that the one
thing he was certain of is that he doubted. He reasoned that even if God is an
evil deceiver who devotes all his energies to deceiving me, it is impossible to
believe that he could deceive me about my own existence. I must exist to be so
deceived. As such, I must exist in order to doubt that I exist. This was his
undeniable self evident truth on which to build his philosophy. Descartes’
famous phrase: “Cogito, Ergo Sum”, I think, therefore I am. This was the
cornerstone of Descartes belief. However, when Descartes stated that he
existed, what did he actually mean? Simply, he meant that he existed as
something that thinks, nothing more. He did not affirm the existence of a body
or anything else other than that he existed as a thinking entity. This was the
first of his six meditations.
After discovering this indubitable truth, Descartes
inquires as to what is required in a proposition for it to be true and certain.
By examining a proposition that is known to be true and certain, such as the
one he just discovered, he hopes to find a general criterion of certainty. He
concludes there is nothing in cogito, ergo sum, which is assuring of truth
except that he sees very clearly and distinctly what is affirmed. As such, he
came to the conclusion that he might assume as a general rule that the things
we conceive very clearly and distinctly are all true. By clear Descartes meant
that which is present and apparent to an attentive mind in the same way as we assert that we see
objects clearly when, being present to the beholding eye, they operate upon it
with sufficient strength. By distinct he meant that which is so precise and different
from all other objects that it contains within itself nothing but what is
clear. A perception can be clear without it being distinct. However, it cannot
be distinct without it being clear.
Now Descartes has established the criterion for discerning
truth and certainty. However, how do we ascertain those things which are
distinctly perceived? Secondly, a God may have endowed me with such a nature
that I may have been deceived even concerning things which seemed to me most
manifest. Descartes had no reason to believe that there was such a deceiving
God, however; as yet, Descartes had not satisfied himself that there was a God.
While he believed any reason for doubting his criterion was slim, it none the
less existed. As such, he had to prove the existence of a God who is not a
deceiver.
To be continued.
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