The ‘Clearly and Distinctly’ rule is the view that ‘everything that I perceive very clearly and distinctly is true.’ However, we must first begin by defining these key terms. By ‘clearly’ Descartes describes it as ‘present and accessible to the attentive mind’ and ‘distinctly’ is ‘so sharply separated from all other perceptions that it contains within itself only what is clear.’ In this essay, I will closely analyse how Descartes arrived to this rule of perception and will argue that he was not incredibly successful in using it to rebuild all knowledge.
The concept of this perception is one that can be rather difficult to comprehend, as Descartes himself was unable to clearly and distinctly define it; thus, we must first discuss the conception of the notion and delve deeper into the explanation of the theory. Firstly, Descartes arrived to the clear and distinct perception through his assertion that he exists and that he is a thinking thing. In the Third Meditation he resolves that his understanding of the cogito and the sum res cogitans are clear and distinct perceptions. Hence, he determines that all ‘natural light,’ or in other words, clear and distinct perceptions, must be true. Secondly, an idea that is clear is one that is rational, for example, the number 5 is probably clearer …show more content…
Firstly, Descartes’ argument for the existence of God is not a very strong one as it leads to the infamous problem of the ‘Cartesian Circle’: the answer Descartes gives to whether the argument is sound is that he clearly and distinctly perceives its premises to be true and all the steps to be valid, so that he is using the clear and distinct method to argue that the rule itself is reliable. When this problem is brought up in the second and fourth Objections to the Mediations, in his replies, Descartes states
The concept of this perception is one that can be rather difficult to comprehend, as Descartes himself was unable to clearly and distinctly define it; thus, we must first discuss the conception of the notion and delve deeper into the explanation of the theory. Firstly, Descartes arrived to the clear and distinct perception through his assertion that he exists and that he is a thinking thing. In the Third Meditation he resolves that his understanding of the cogito and the sum res cogitans are clear and distinct perceptions. Hence, he determines that all ‘natural light,’ or in other words, clear and distinct perceptions, must be true. Secondly, an idea that is clear is one that is rational, for example, the number 5 is probably clearer …show more content…
Firstly, Descartes’ argument for the existence of God is not a very strong one as it leads to the infamous problem of the ‘Cartesian Circle’: the answer Descartes gives to whether the argument is sound is that he clearly and distinctly perceives its premises to be true and all the steps to be valid, so that he is using the clear and distinct method to argue that the rule itself is reliable. When this problem is brought up in the second and fourth Objections to the Mediations, in his replies, Descartes states