Lecture – 7

Skeptisism-2

► Cartesian Strategy:

■ In order to proceed following deductive method Descartes needs to find a set of foundational
beliefs/truths from which other truths can be deduced. He thinks that one is justified in
believing that p if one is certain about the truth of p, or p is deduced from another belief which is
certainly true. So, he sets the following strategy:

(1) Doubt everything that can be doubted.

(2) Find those foundational beliefs which are certain and indubitable.

(3) Infer other beliefs from those foundational beliefs which are certain and indubitable.

● For the step (1), it is not possible to examine each of our beliefs. We have millions of beliefs
and if we decide to examine each of them, then that will be a crazy decision as we cannot
complete the examination in the whole of our life. Descartes does not intend to do so. He rather
intends to examine the kinds of beliefs instead of examining particular beliefs. He thinks that if a
particular instance of a particular belief is found dubitable, then all beliefs of that kind should be
considered dubitable.

█ Doubting the sense perception (the Argument from Error):

■ So, first he examines the kind of beliefs that is formed depending on sense-perception. We know
things of our daily life, e.g. tables, chairs, other peoples, etc., through the senses. We think that
our sense perception is pretty trustworthy. But Descartes finds that our sense-perceptions at least
sometimes deceive us. The optical illusion may be an example of deception by sense-perception.
If we place a straight stick in a glass of water and look at it from the side, we perceive the stick
as if it is broken or bent. But actually it is not. An object located at a distant site may seem smaller
than the size it ‘actually’ has. So, it is plain that sense-perceptions sometimes deceive. We are not
only deceived by distant and minute objects but also by other things. So, the so-called knowledge

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attained by sense perception is dubitable and hence such ‘knowledge’ should not be considered
as knowledge proper.

■ Cartesian Argument about sense perception:

Descartes thinks that it is wiser not to trust anything by which we have once been deceived. Since
a sense-perception based belief deceives us at least once, all beliefs that are founded on sense-
perceptions should be doubted. The argument, known as argument from error, is something like
the following:

(P1) One should not trust something that led one to error at least once.
(P2) The sense-perception has led one to error at least once.
(C) Therefore, one should not trust sense-perception.
(i.e. all beliefs based on sense-perception should be doubted.)

► Moreover, Descartes is not claiming that all beliefs that are founded on sense-perceptions are
false. He is just claiming that they are dubitable and hence, he is not interested to take them as
foundational truth. His thought regarding the matter can be represented in the following way:

Beliefs based on sense-perceptions

Foundational beliefs

Dubitable Beliefs
True Beliefs

False Beliefs
Beliefs

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