I really hate picking something close to the beginning of the paper, I feel like people will think I didn’t read it all and I’m just picking something out of a beginning paragraph. Well, anyway, me and Descartes officially do not get along. I read all of it, and had to read super slowly just so I could process everything he was saying. It could just be me, but his wording just completely threw me off at times. I would read a sentence, then have to kind of think it over in my own words to completely understand what he’s saying, but then I’m afraid I’m missing something. It’s all super frustrating, BUT Lucy Beth gave me a thumbs up / hug yesterday so I can do this. (: Hahaa.
After I finished reading this I went over the synopses again, and the first one (again, I promise, I read them all) got me thinking.
“1. IN THE First Meditation I present the grounds on which we may doubt in general of all things, and especially of material objects, so long at least, as we have no other foundations for the sciences than those we have until now possessed. Now, although the utility of a doubt so general may not be manifest at first sight, it is nevertheless of the greatest, since it delivers us from all prejudice, and affords the easiest pathway by which the mind may withdraw itself from the senses; and finally makes it impossible for us to doubt wherever we afterward discover truth.”
To start off with, I thought he sounded strange when he said we have “grounds on which we may doubt in general of all things, and especially of material objects.” Why would we doubt something that is an object that we can see and hold?
He’s saying that we should doubt reality, that what we are looking at, might not actually be there, personally, I disagree. If I’m holding something in my hand, for example, a pencil, then it’s there. I can feel the weight, and I can’t push my finger through it, I mean, reality is, I have a stinking pencil in my hand! I don’t doubt that I’m currently wrapped up in my plush blanket because my roommate is hot and I’m freezing to death. I believe God put us on this Earth, with material things so we could live and worship him. I, personally, think Descartes was wrong. I don’t have or need a reason to doubt that what’s real is real. Reality, to me, is logical. I'm just a logical person.
Also, being logical gives less headaches, unlike Descartes, who must have had a twenty four seven migraine.
- Katina
- Katina
Katina, I agree that this was difficult to understand and be able to form an opinion on! Don't worry about it, you aren't the only one. As for you comments, The idea isn't to doubt reality for the sake of doubting, but to prove something through that process. For instance, DesCarte was only doing this to prove the exsistence of God. If you look at it in this sense, maybe you will be better able to see what DesCarte's purpose and process were. I can't wait to read your next post!
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