Descartes Argument For The Discovery Of Scientific Truth...

I will attempt to clearly explain an argument offered by Renà © Descartes in Rules for the Discovery of Scientific Truth. In order to accomplish this task, I will discern and explain Descartes’ argument, offer what I consider to be the most significant objection to the argument, and contemplate how Descartes would reply to my objection. For the purposes of explanation, I will temporarily put aside the first sentence of the paragraph in which Descartes’ argument can be found. The second sentence of the paragraph begins with Descartes discussing how in his college days, he â€Å"discovered that nothing can be imagined which is too strange or incredible to have been said by some philosopher† (195). This phrase is telling because it shows that the study of thought itself is one of the first fields to offer the thoughts which seem the craziest to a common person. How can the study of thought itself offer up such flawed thoughts? The simple answer is that it doesnâ₠¬â„¢t. Descartes continues that sentence by recognizing that â€Å"those with views quite contrary to ours are not on that account barbarians or savages, but that many of them make use of reason as much or more than we do† (195). In other words, just because someone holds a view in opposition to mine, does not mean they are uncivilized or uneducated. On the contrary, many of those who hold opinions that may seem stupid have used reason to the same degree as (or even more than) I have. Just as the arguments of so called uncivilizedShow MoreRelatedEnlightenment And Scientific Discovery Of The 17th Century1620 Words   |  7 Pagesperiod of enlightenment and scientific discovery of the 17th century, differing concepts of the scientific method emerged. Amongst these, Renà © Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton had some of the more prominent ideologies. Through The Discourse On Method Descartes describes his rules for â€Å"discovering the truth†(Sherman. P.74) based on his mat hematical background. Many of these are based on logical deductions and examining individual sections of a hypothesis to determine their truths. A few decades later, SirRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy807 Words   |  4 PagesConner Ruhl Professor Copley Philosophy 1000C 4 May 2015 Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes was the first great philosopher of the modern era, He had a new approach which was focused on scientific and mathematical truths. Descartes came to reject the scholastic tradition, one of which he was educated, due to his pursuit of mathematical and scientific truth. Much of Descartes work was done to secure advancement of human knowledge through the use of the natural sciencesRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1264 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy is a first-person record of Descartes’ descent into the bowels of disbelief, in order to eradicate all flawed belief from his life. 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He shows this by describing the purpose ofRead MoreThe Cartesian Cogito By Rene ÃÅ'  Descartes1513 Words   |  7 PagesMeditations, Objections, and Replies, ReneÃŒ  Descartes argues that we cannot doubt our own existence. Descartes’s Cogito argument is actually stimulated by the â€Å"numerous† â€Å"false opinions† (9) in â€Å"Meditation One†, which he believed true in his youth but now doubts and attempts to attack through his own writing. Descartes’s doubts involve three stages. The first doubt concerns sense illusion. In other words, Descartes formerly maintained that we obtained truth â€Å"either from the senses or through the senses†Read MoreThe Philosophical Beliefs Of Substance Dualism And Modern Materialism953 Words   |  4 PagesSubstance Dualism and modern Materialism The tradition of Substance Dualism was formulated by Rene Descartes to define the differing modes of the soul that function in the human mind. The dualistic aspect of this philosophy is based on the presence of a higher power, such as God, that provides the essence of the mind through the soul, yet the human body is separated from this process. Therefore, Descartes sought to divide the mind from the material body as a method of defining the limitations of theRead MoreThe Mind-Body Problem Essay1204 Words   |  5 Pagesmaterialists mean by the ‘brain’, ‘mind’, ‘body’ and ‘soul’, an argument on behalf of Cartesians dualists will be reached, that responds to evidence concerning brain injuries with the claims that the brain is only ‘an instrument of the soul’. This will lead to the conclusion that there is stronger contemporary support for materialism due to neuroscience and that the Cartesian dualism argument as it is, may be wrong. However future neuroscience discoveries could continue to claim significant parts of both theoriesRead MoreThe Question Of Human Existence1776 Words   |  8 Pagesbody. Renà © Descartes, often referred to as the father of modern philosophy, first questioned this idea. The 17th century French philosopher stood out for being an intense rationalist. Rationalism is the belief in knowledge by thinking reasonably, rather than emotionally. In a time when many philosophers backed up their arguments with religion, Descartes trusted in nothing more than logic. Due to rapid new discoveries in science, that were proving many old theories to be wrong, Descartes believed philosophyRead MoreRene Descartes: French Mathematician and Philosopher Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesRene Descartes: An Author Study Rene Descartes was a 17th Century mathematician and French Philosopher whose lifes work focused on providing a new prospective on the human perception of reality. The definition of this reality is seen as Descartes greatest life goal. Coined as the Father of Modern Philosophy, (Cunningham Reich, 2010, p. 385), Descartes laid the groundwork the philosophy and reality as we perceive it today. Descartes autobiography, Discourse on the Method of Rightly ConductingRead MoreEpistemology Is The Study Of Knowledge, Or How We Know1781 Words   |  8 Pagesknow anything. It is where one can explain how our mind is linked to reality and if these relationships are valid or invalid. In this paper, I will first present the views of Descartes on epistemology. Next, I will clarify his view of God, the body, and the mind. I will also discuss how well Descartes presents the arguments and how well they work for each topic. Lastly, I will discuss my overall agreement with his project for knowledge in general, however, I further discuss a few key components that