Descartes here is laying his foundation down to build upon. He states in prior readings that you should act decisively even when uncertain but then here says the complete opposite when he states that anything you can doubt is false. As a result, he only hold onto things that are certainly true without any doubt. Descartes abandons sensory knowledge and demonstrative knowledge. He feels that sensory knowledge means nothing since our senses can decieve us. Demonstrative knowledge has its flaws since people make errors when reasoning. Descartes believes that all the information entered in his mind areno more than the illusions brought on by his dreams. This ability to doubt is what is essential to his foundation. "I think, therefore I am" is his principle in part 4. He believes that since he can dount all these things then in this doubt he is thinking and that must mean he exists. Therefore, he is a thinking substance. Truth to this foundation is found through his distinct and clear perceptions.
-- Chris Rehonic
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2 comments:
I agree with your post because Descartes also says that all of our opinions and views must have some foundation of truth because it wouldn't be possible that God would have put those ideas in us without that.
It also made me think that if our view was not to believe in God, and according to Descartes our ideas must have some foundation of truth because of God, would Descartes support that your belief of God has some truth to it? I don't think he would so he kind of confuses me there.
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