Descartes And Socrates Comparison Essay

“Who exactly are we, and what does it even mean to exist?” The answer to this question is undoubtedly very complex and has been tackled by philosophers throughout time. Particularly, it has been discussed in detail by famous philosophers Descartes and Socrates. Both of these philosophers believed in the act of self-awareness. Moreover, Descartes is recognized for his famous line, “Cogito, Ergo Sum,” which is loosely translated to “I think, therefore I am.” Whereas Socrates was famous for his claim that the unexamined life is not worth living. Notably, each of these philosophers had revolutionary ideas on what it means to be a human. Now the question remains: where do I stand amidst these two viewpoints? Whose ideas on self- awareness do I believe …show more content…
In particular, I agree with Descartes that the senses can be deceitful. His wax experiment discussed in the book acknowledges this theory. As the wax gets closer to the fire, it changes shape, size, and overall appearance, which calls into question how we are able to identify it. He concludes that we are able to do this by our ability to think in three dimensions and recognize the extension, flexibility, and changeability of the wax. I agree with Descartes point that the mind has the power to reflect on or attend to its own ideas, distinct from the power of sensing and the power of imagination. For example, the perception of the world in the eyes of a bird soaring high in the sky is much different to the perception of the world in the eyes of an ant. This further proves that what we see does not necessarily prove the legitimateness of what is around us. This can also be applied to our other senses, for example in terms of touch what I consider as cold, somebody else may consider as warm. Descartes recognizes this fact and that the only thing that we can be certain of is that we exist because of our abilities to doubt and