Descartes and Hume on the Self
In order to understand Rene Descartes’ exposition of the self, it is necessary to begin with his Dream Argument. Essentially, this consists of the claim that there is no way to determine whether a particular experience is actually happening or is instead a dream (Bramann). Different experiences can vary in their vividness; indeed, there can be some dreams that seem to be happening with more authenticity than actual events that pass on the timeline. One can wake up in a pool of actual perspiration based on the events in a dream; if you observe someone else who is in the throes of a particularly bad dream, you may actually hear that person cry out in response to events that you cannot see or hear going on. The …show more content…
Descartes view the thought process as the affirmation of the existence of a distinct self as the only reality that exists beyond the shadow of any possible doubt. It is the thinking itself that never ends; the fact that the thinking is constant implies, for Descartes, that the self continuously exists. The thought process has more of a splintering effect on the concept of the self for Hume, who sees the influx of a variety of impressions into the mind, and the internal reactions to that influx, as a shower of impressions rather than a sign that there is any discrete self involved in the process. However, it would be inaccurate to say that Hume denies the existence of a self; instead, he objects to the characterization of this entity as consistent and ongoing. Instead, he refers to the constant change taking …show more content…
It would be incorrect to interpret Descartes’ view of the self as ignoring the role that change over time has on the process of thinking. Even the cycle of doubt that Descartes goes through in his exposition of his own definition of the self is an example of the sort of changes that take place in Hume’s description of the process.
In Descartes’ time, establishing the existence of the self as an entity was an important step in the Enlightenment, moving toward a humanistic view of the universe that emphasized the importance of the individual. Hume’s take on the self enriches the concept, taking into account the development that takes place through the various phases of life. The existence of a self, moving through time and developing, represented a sort of threat to the religious establishment in Descartes’ time, but it has since emerged to serve as an important bulwark for the understanding of who we
In order to understand Rene Descartes’ exposition of the self, it is necessary to begin with his Dream Argument. Essentially, this consists of the claim that there is no way to determine whether a particular experience is actually happening or is instead a dream (Bramann). Different experiences can vary in their vividness; indeed, there can be some dreams that seem to be happening with more authenticity than actual events that pass on the timeline. One can wake up in a pool of actual perspiration based on the events in a dream; if you observe someone else who is in the throes of a particularly bad dream, you may actually hear that person cry out in response to events that you cannot see or hear going on. The …show more content…
Descartes view the thought process as the affirmation of the existence of a distinct self as the only reality that exists beyond the shadow of any possible doubt. It is the thinking itself that never ends; the fact that the thinking is constant implies, for Descartes, that the self continuously exists. The thought process has more of a splintering effect on the concept of the self for Hume, who sees the influx of a variety of impressions into the mind, and the internal reactions to that influx, as a shower of impressions rather than a sign that there is any discrete self involved in the process. However, it would be inaccurate to say that Hume denies the existence of a self; instead, he objects to the characterization of this entity as consistent and ongoing. Instead, he refers to the constant change taking …show more content…
It would be incorrect to interpret Descartes’ view of the self as ignoring the role that change over time has on the process of thinking. Even the cycle of doubt that Descartes goes through in his exposition of his own definition of the self is an example of the sort of changes that take place in Hume’s description of the process.
In Descartes’ time, establishing the existence of the self as an entity was an important step in the Enlightenment, moving toward a humanistic view of the universe that emphasized the importance of the individual. Hume’s take on the self enriches the concept, taking into account the development that takes place through the various phases of life. The existence of a self, moving through time and developing, represented a sort of threat to the religious establishment in Descartes’ time, but it has since emerged to serve as an important bulwark for the understanding of who we