Compare And Contrast Self Rule And Independence Descartes

Self-rule and independence may seem quite similar, or even the same, at first glance; however, I believe them to be two different things. With the support of Descartes’ Discourse on Method, it is evident that Descartes also agrees that self-rule and independence are quite different: one implies ignorance, while the other implies a knowledge and understanding of principles. I believe that Descartes agrees with the argument that independence implies ignorance and self-rule is knowing certain principles for oneself, based on his own experiences; however, based on my own experiences, I believe there to be two versions of independence, a good and a pure and complete one. I personally like to look at this argument as self-rule and good independence …show more content…
This is where the idea of self-rule truly shows through in Descartes. He fully understands has knowledge of a principle purely for himself, like his method for reforming his thoughts and how he can control his own reasoning. In part II, he even claims that he is only doing this for himself, “My intention has never extend beyond trying to reform my own thoughts and to build on a base that is entirely my own.” Through parts I and II of his Discourse on Method, I believe that Descartes would agree with the argument that independence is ignorance and self-rule is knowledge of principles for oneself because he went through independence and self-rule in his own …show more content…
“Good independence” is a temporary type of independence, a temporary rejection of others’ ideas. When someone has “good independence” they strive to find new answers for themselves, so that it may lead to self-ruling. I believe that one can self-rule and be independent at the same time, much like Descartes. Descartes temporarily rejected his university teachings and created a method of reasoning in order to understand and know principles for himself. I believe that there is a negative path for independence, which is pure and complete independence. This is similar to when Descartes rejected all of his thinking, like his education and even his existence. Descartes moved away from this pure independence because he started to doubt his rejections, saying that he could not deny that he did not exist. He started to accept what only he knew was true, that he existed and that God existed. I have had some experiences with pure independence. One thing that comes to mind is when a teenage girl doesn’t listen to her mother, advising her to not do something. Of course, the mother is always correct, but in the moment, the teenage girl chooses to reject the advice, thinking that she can come up with an alternate and even better option. This may not be the same with all teenage girls, some are extremely dependent on their mothers’ advice and follow it to a tee. Though Descartes chose not to be