Knowledge, Reality and Values, Essay Example

Introduction

The philosopher Descartes developed his early career by examining the principles of a scientific method that had been introduced earlier by Galileo. He aimed to develop this work by illustrating new scientific values that had alignment to Christian teachings and yet did not threaten the Christian faith.  He referred to these as his ‘Meditations’  where he set out to prove that both science and Christianity could be compatible. (Wilson)

The best source of knowledge

Descartes set out to establish that the mind and not the senses were the best foundations upon which to build knowledge.  Descartes put forward three arguments in order to prove his point; these being as follows:

The arguments for Universal Doubt

All knowledge gained through the senses is considered subject to doubt.  If scientific knowledge was derived in this manner it would not be possible to perceive that such objects that were external to our being ever existed.

The Dream Argument

In the dream argument  Descartes maintained that it is difficult to distinguish from the dreaming experience to that of reality. These are perceptions of the senses and as such it may be possible that I am dreaming right now and as such all of the perceptions are false.  As such people may not accept dream components and consider them illusory and as such increases the scope of doubt.

Deceiving God Argument

Within the deceiving god argument,  we all believe that there is an all powerful Universal God that is the creator of us all.  As such God has it in his power to deceive us about knowledge of mathematics which we believe we see and understand clearly.  As such if deception is possible, even purely from the perspective of mathematics, then our perception of the world may be incorrect and increases the scope for doubt.

Evil Demon Argument

Within the evil demon argument it  states that instead of God deceiving us the source of the deception is that of an evil demon (Satan) who has the same capability to deceive mankind.  As such this puts forward the reason not to believe or trust all that the senses tell me.   In order to dispel the senses as a credible source of knowledge Descartes looked at the concept of the mind in order tom prove his own existence.

The Argument for Existence

The argument for existence also became known as the ‘Cogito’ argument.  The concept of if there is a deceiver (God or Satan), the fact of being deceived means that I exist.  Hence apart from being deceived about other object that surrounds me I cannot be deceived that I have an existence.  His argument translated from ‘cogito ergo sum’ – I think therefore I am. In this argument Descartes proved that the contents of the mind are more fully understood, in philosophical terms, than that of the human body.

He developed this argument by saying that in order to acknowledge the concept of objects outside of his mind he has to make the leap to acknowledging the existence of those objects outside of the mind and only God permits this allowing him to determine the basis for all external objects outside of the mind.

Conclusion

Descartes in his Mediations proved the compatibility between the philosophy of religion and scientific reasoning.  His arguments set the foundations for other philosophical readings that followed.  During this difficult time Descartes proved that the Church need not fear science and it did not pose a threat as science itself was subject to the influence of God.

Works Cited

Wilson, Caherine. Descartes’s Meditations: An Introduction. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press, 2003.