René Descartes was a French philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 17th century. Descartes was very influential in forming modern western philosophy as we know it. He personally disagreed with the thinking of philosophers before him, believing that he was ignorant to follow what others said and believed before him. I agree with Descartes’ belief that the senses are flawed, therefore it is appropriate to use reason. In order to use reason, Descartes argues that clear and distinct ideas must be obtained because all truths are connected to each other. Through analyzing Descartes’ Meditations, this paper aims to prove how exactly how the senses are flawed, can be manipulated, and that reason comes from clear and distinct ideas.
In his …show more content…
Through that argument, Descartes wants to explain how what we know comes from our intellect, and not from the senses as other philosophers such as Aristotle thought. By believing that knowledge comes from the senses, one ends up him or herself. But Descartes is careful not to dismiss the senses completely however. His argument focuses on the way that wax changes, that is, wax goes from something solid and melting into a puddle of liquid. The senses seem to tell us things about what we can see in the world around and Descartes acknowledges that what we know about the solid piece of wax we know can come through the senses to a certain extent. The senses might be able to help readers understand the melted wax more, but they cannot tell us that the melted wax and the solid wax are the same matter. Also, Descartes does not happen to say that the imagination is able to do so. Only the intellect can organize and make sense of what we know. He believes reason is coherent, where as perception is not (Loeb, 9,10). Our mere knowledge of the senses comes from our intellect alone and not from any other source. Reason comes from clear and basic ideas, something the imagination cannot do as it leads to
In his …show more content…
Through that argument, Descartes wants to explain how what we know comes from our intellect, and not from the senses as other philosophers such as Aristotle thought. By believing that knowledge comes from the senses, one ends up him or herself. But Descartes is careful not to dismiss the senses completely however. His argument focuses on the way that wax changes, that is, wax goes from something solid and melting into a puddle of liquid. The senses seem to tell us things about what we can see in the world around and Descartes acknowledges that what we know about the solid piece of wax we know can come through the senses to a certain extent. The senses might be able to help readers understand the melted wax more, but they cannot tell us that the melted wax and the solid wax are the same matter. Also, Descartes does not happen to say that the imagination is able to do so. Only the intellect can organize and make sense of what we know. He believes reason is coherent, where as perception is not (Loeb, 9,10). Our mere knowledge of the senses comes from our intellect alone and not from any other source. Reason comes from clear and basic ideas, something the imagination cannot do as it leads to