Descartes

Descartes:  An Assessment of Readings Descartes
1.) What does Descartes’ mean when he claims, “I think, therefore I am”? Please describe the method he utilized to reach this conclusion. In your opinion, is this maxim a convincing foundation to base our knowledge of the world?
In the words of Rene Descartes, “I am, I exist, is necessarily true each time that I pronounce it, or that I mentally conceive it.” In “I think, therefore I am”, Descartes is simply building up on his ideal of what could be referred to as radical doubt. On this front, the idea is that we cannot deem something as being true on the basis of the mere perception of the sane. Descartes makes the observation that the only thing we can be certain of is that we have consciousness and a mind as without these, there would be no perceptions to be believed or doubts to be made. It is important to further point out that according to Descartes, the body and mind are not one and the same thing. Indeed, they are two separate entities – with the mind being more certain than even the body because it is through the mind that we can sense the body. Descartes strategy happens to be rather simple. He seeks not to believe, and thus doubt, all those claims that are either false or have a probability of being false. This is more so the case given that he accepts for a fact that he has been deceived by his thoughts in the past. He is also aware of the fact that in the past, he has reasoned erroneously. Thus, because there is a possibility of his beliefs being false, it appears valid to subject his reasoning faculty (including his senses and beliefs) to doubt. He is also categorical that the beliefs he holds about the external world could be falsified by an evil demon inside of him. To a large extent, the only standard that could stand the test of time – and withstand the methodic doubt highlighted on this front - is ‘Cogito ergo sum!’
In my opinion, this particular maxim happens to be rather convincing – effectively meaning that we could anchor our knowledge of the world on it. This is more so the case given that the maxim could come in handy as I seek to discover other truths that may not necessarily be certain. From time to time, I lack certainty about some things. This is particularly the case given that I have in the past embraced some ‘truths’ that I came to realize later on they were not necessarily truths. Like Descartes, therefore, we could tap into Cogito in an attempt to reign in optimism. This, in my opinion, is one of the surest ways to gather the much needed knowledge of the world, with certainty.
2.) In the Meditations Descartes considers the possibility that he might be dreaming. He utilizes the deceptive quality of dreams to cast doubt on the reliability of the senses. Please give a description of this argument. Then describe whether you find it convincing. Elaborate, is Descartes’ treatment of dreams fair?
The dream argument by Descartes is born out of the assertion that the content in both waking life and dreams is similar. According to Descartes, there are numerous occasions whereby he has had the conviction that he is awake and engaging in normal chores – only to wake up and find that it was just but a dream. This is to say that he has suffered deception in his dreams numerous times. Anybody who has had a dream could easily relate with this assertion. Towards this end, Descartes asks a rather disturbing question; how can one be certain that he is not indeed dreaming at a specific point in time? For instance, how can I be certain that I am not dreaming at this very moment even though I consider myself to be awake and seated before the computer screen typing this manuscript. This is the very same thought that Descartes wrestles with while he is seated before the fire. In Descartes life, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between a dream and waking life. It is for this reason that he is doubtful of the ‘reality’ of the things before him. After all, he could be dreaming up their existence.
In my opinion, Descartes treatment of dreams is largely fair. This is more so the case given that we have all, in the past, trusted the sensory deceptions of dreams. There are numerous times where we I woken up and exclaimed, “Oh, thank God it was just but a dream!” How sure can I, therefore, be that the present moment is not just a dream and I shall soon wake up? Like Descartes, I am of the commonsense view that dreams largely mimic our waking lives and it hard to tell them apart. There is absolutely no way for one to recognize that he is indeed dreaming – until he or she wakes up. Thus, my present experiences could be taking place in a dream or in the wake life. There is no way to be sure – unless I perhaps wake up. In the final analysis, therefore, we can only put our trust in a just and kind-hearted God and trust that he cannot deceive us.