Cartesian Criteria for Knowledge: From Skepticism to Solipsism - Essay Example

of Cartesian Criteria for Knowledge: From Skepticism to Solipsism In Meditation I René Descartes tries to ascertain what the criteria for his beliefs are and whether or not he could depend on his sensory beliefs as a basis for definite knowledge. He determined that if there were any chance of his sensory beliefs being false then he would have to discard them as not being definite knowledge. He also argued that every belief based on our senses could be false, therefore, since our belief in and perception of the external world is based on our senses, there is a possibility that the external world does not exist as we cannot be sure of our knowledge of the external world at all. To substantiate this argument on skepticism we can use the model of the dream which illustrates that our belief of the external world is not infallible (http://philwiki.wetpaint.com/page/Descartes%27+Arguments) For example; I believe that at this moment I am sitting in the class writing a test. My belief is based on my visual, auditory and tactile sensations which tell me that I am sitting at my desk in the classroom. However, according to Descartes, I may experience the same sensations if I were dreaming of it. In reality then I would not be sitting in the classroom but be sleeping in my bed. So I cannot be certain that I am in the classroom. Hence, this proves that all beliefs of the external world are doubtful and can be artificial because we cannot be certain of their validity. According to Descartes any qualitative data may be inaccurate because we depend a lot on our senses for qualitative appreciation of an event or thing. If we are to believe this theory to be correct then how can we explain the event of death? A major flaw in this theory is in its treatment of death which cannot be numerically proven. Since solipsism treats death as the end of a dream, a solipsist can never be sure of anything in the external world other than death, because life to him/her is like a dream. The fact of death can only be proved in other people’s dying. But a solipsist cannot believe for certain in the existence of any being other than his/her own. So the only reality will be the death of the solipsist. Then how does s/he prove that s/he existed after s/he is dead? Unless s/he wakes up in another realm and can remember details of his/her whole life like dream there will be no point to this argument. The other question is that if our life experiences of the external world are part of a dream then what happens when we are asleep in the dream? Can we be certain of ourselves as thinking entities when we are sleeping and are not dreaming? Descartes may have argued that this scenario could well have been the reality for that person for that moment in the dream. For instance, if one dreams that one has fallen off a tree and has hurt his/her head, one feels the head throbbing realistically and one might even wake up crying out in pain. However, after waking up one realizes that it was a mere dream. In such an instance Descartes would argue that for that person the sensation of pain was very real and knowledge of the episode was true. This substantiates his claim that it is difficult to distinguish between the accuracy of events based on sensory perceptions of the external world. In Meditation II Descartes moves away from the argument of skepticism to solipsism in which he puts forward the theory that even though one may not be sure of the external world, one does know that one exists because one thinks so. Let’s take the same example of the dream which made me doubt the existence of the external world and my own belief based on my sensations. The very fact that I doubt the reality of my situation proves that I have a mind that makes me think. So if I am a thinking entity, then necessarily I must exist if only as a mind. There may be reservations about my physical existence but I can be certain of my capacity to think, proving that since I think, therefore, I am. In Meditation I, Descartes argues in favor of the skeptics and later in Meditation II counters his own arguments that all our sensory perceptions are deceptive and that we cannot be sure of any experiences based on our senses. In Meditation II Descartes agrees that empirical or mathematical knowledge leaves least doubt of its being unreliable or false as for instance 2+2=4, even if you were to dream about it. According to Cartesian epistemology says that we should be able to determine the validity of the knowledge we have. We must be able to distinguish between a waking experience and a dream, between beliefs that we are certain about and those that are inaccurate due to the inaccuracy of our sense perceptions. Descartes propounded the theory that deduction and reasoning are the only reliable sources of knowledge and not sensory perceptions. In conclusion it can be said that René Descartes’ views on skepticism and his basis for Cartesian criteria for knowledge is based more on mathematical facts that can be verified by investigation and deduction rather than depending heavily on sensory perceptions. In his treatises Descartes argues that the knowledge of the external world can be unrealistic and that we should find a way of validating our observations. He also moves away from skepticism to solipsism and claims that “I” exist because I have a mind that can think, argue, question and reason. Works Cited Descartes, Rene. Meditations On First Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print. “Descartes.” PhilWiki. 20 Mar 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. “Descartes’ Arguments.” PhilWiki. 20 Jan 2010. Web. 13 May 2010. Read More