What are corporeal things and what do we know about them?
Rene Descartes is known for being the ‘father of modern philosophy’. Born at the end of the 15th century, Descartes comes from a time of religion, myth and superstition where the world of knowledge comes from what they were told by their landowners and their churches and this remained up until the 17th century. The world was then enlightened with knowledge when scientists such as Galileo, Mutant and Descartes came along. Descartes wished to establish a solid foundation of knowledge with his method of doubt, he questioned everything in attempt to attain more knowledge ‘I have learned for certain that there is nothing in the world that is certain’ (Meditations 2, pg.9).
In meditations …show more content…
We know the feeling of this object, the sound that emits when we strike the piece of wax, the shape of the wax but if this wax is melted and its shape alters and the texture changes and it becomes almost unrecognisable how is it that it is still referred to as a piece of wax? Even though the wax is melted, changes and becomes completely unrecognisable it is still composed of the same components, nothing is added or extracted. So therefore one can say that it is still the same piece of wax but Descartes states that we overly rely on our senses that we don’t doubt or question anything we just presume, we don’t form an opinion of our own we just go by what we know or what we were told to believe ‘rid myself of all the opinions which I had formerly accepted’ (Meditations1, …show more content…
In order for one to develop intellectually as a person and to attain more knowledge one must question everything and understand the true being which is the mind. Descartes takes doubt to the point where he questions ‘am I real?’ And he believes nothing is real only the mind and our thoughts.To conclude Descartes claims ‘I am, I exist’ every time he says or thinks this in his mind he exists. Descartes states that he doesn’t know who he is but he knows he is something because ‘In thinking I exist’. He reconsiders all thoughts and removes anything he doubts so that all that remains is what is certain, his thoughts. Descartes proves this today as his ideas, his thoughts are still being discussed long after his body has decayed, justifying that his true existence was his
Rene Descartes is known for being the ‘father of modern philosophy’. Born at the end of the 15th century, Descartes comes from a time of religion, myth and superstition where the world of knowledge comes from what they were told by their landowners and their churches and this remained up until the 17th century. The world was then enlightened with knowledge when scientists such as Galileo, Mutant and Descartes came along. Descartes wished to establish a solid foundation of knowledge with his method of doubt, he questioned everything in attempt to attain more knowledge ‘I have learned for certain that there is nothing in the world that is certain’ (Meditations 2, pg.9).
In meditations …show more content…
We know the feeling of this object, the sound that emits when we strike the piece of wax, the shape of the wax but if this wax is melted and its shape alters and the texture changes and it becomes almost unrecognisable how is it that it is still referred to as a piece of wax? Even though the wax is melted, changes and becomes completely unrecognisable it is still composed of the same components, nothing is added or extracted. So therefore one can say that it is still the same piece of wax but Descartes states that we overly rely on our senses that we don’t doubt or question anything we just presume, we don’t form an opinion of our own we just go by what we know or what we were told to believe ‘rid myself of all the opinions which I had formerly accepted’ (Meditations1, …show more content…
In order for one to develop intellectually as a person and to attain more knowledge one must question everything and understand the true being which is the mind. Descartes takes doubt to the point where he questions ‘am I real?’ And he believes nothing is real only the mind and our thoughts.To conclude Descartes claims ‘I am, I exist’ every time he says or thinks this in his mind he exists. Descartes states that he doesn’t know who he is but he knows he is something because ‘In thinking I exist’. He reconsiders all thoughts and removes anything he doubts so that all that remains is what is certain, his thoughts. Descartes proves this today as his ideas, his thoughts are still being discussed long after his body has decayed, justifying that his true existence was his