The Move From Doubt To Certainty A

The Move From Doubt To Certainty; A Look Essay, Research Paper

The Move from Doubt to Certainty; A Look

at the Theories of Descartes and Locke

Descartes is interested in the certainty of his

existence and the existence of other people and things.

Descartes’ beliefs vary from those of Socrates. Descartes

argues that knowledge is acquired through awareness and

experience. Using this approach, Descartes moves through

doubt to certainty of his existence. He asks himself

various questions about the certainty of his existence and

solves them through clear thought and logic. Using this

method Descartes establishes doubts to be truths and by the

end of the book, he has established that he does indeed

exist. In this paper, I will show how Descartes moves

through doubt to certainty. I will explain how Descartes

uses the cogito, proves the existence of God and what that

means to his existence. I will also discuss the general

rules of truth that Descartes establishes.

In the First Meditation Descartes begins to examine

what is certain and what is doubtful. Descartes wants to

establish that his knowledge is certain and not doubtful.

He states,

…I had accepted many false opinions as being

true, and that what I had based on such insecure

principles could only be most doubtful and

uncertain; so that I had to undertake seriously

once in my life to rid myself of all opinions I

had adopted up to then, and to begin, and to begin

afresh from the foundations, if I wished to

establish something firm and constant in the

sciences.(Descartes 95)

By this Descartes means that he wishes to establish a

foundation for his knowledge based on certainty instead of

doubt. Descartes first looks at the senses. This is

important because the senses are the first thing to cause

doubt. He focuses on the perception of things. He says that

things far from him, in the distance, give him reason to

doubt their certainty, while things that are close to him

are indubitable and he is clear about their certainty.

However, Descartes realizes that dreams pose an

obstacle to his beliefs. Even up close, dreams can be

indubitable. Descartes believes that if a person has had a

dream that was so intense that the person could not

determine it form reality, then they have reason to doubt

objects that are close to us and appear to be indubitable.

In order to resolve this problem, Descartes suggests that

one must examine whether they are dreaming or not.

Descartes realizes that he can not rely on his senses

anymore to give him dubitable truths. He turns to find

something that is indubitable. Descartes tries to use

science as a foundation for truth. He discards physics,

astronomy, and medicine because all three of them rely upon

the senses. “…we shall not be wrong in concluding that

physics, astronomy, and medicine, and all the other sciences

that depend on the consideration of composite things, are

most doubtful and uncertain…”(Descartes 98). However,

Descartes finds that such things as geometry and arithmetic

can be trusted because their are no senses involved. They

are based upon logic.

“…whether I am awake or asleep, two and three

added together always makes five, and a square

always has four sides; and it does not seem

possible that truths so apparent can be suspected

of any falsity or uncertainty”(98).

However, Descartes finds reason to even doubt this.

The only thing that could makes these truths dubitable is

through the intervention by an Evil Deceiver (God).

Descartes cannot prove that God is good and has to

acknowledge that God has the power to deceive. Therefore,

Descartes must doubt all things until he can prove their

certainty. Descartes comes to call this doubt Universal

Doubt.

In the Second Meditation, Descartes examine the

existence of himself. He concludes that if he cannot prove

something exists then how does he know with certainty that

he exists. It is his doubt of his existence that Descartes

uses to prove his existence. Descartes realizes that if he

is able to doubt then he does indeed exists. He take the

approach that, “I think therefore I am” to establish a

certainty that he exists. This idea also known as the

cogito becomes the central point that Descartes will use for

the remaining of his meditations. Descartes affirms his

existence every time he thinks, doubts, or is

persuaded(Descartes 103). Descartes affirms that if there is

an Evil Deceiver then Descartes must exist because in order

for God to deceive, Descartes he must first exist.

Although, Descartes has proved his existence he can

only prove it in the mental capacity. He does not know for

certain that he exists

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