CARTESIAN DOUBT

RENE DESCARTES
RENE DESCARTES
• French philosopher, mathematician and scientist
• One of the founders of modern philosophy, father of analytic geometry.
• Main interest metaphysics, epistemology, mathematics, physics and cosmology
• Notable ideas: cogito ergo sum, method of doubt, analytic geometry, wax argument.
• Wax Argument:
-Descartes will now analyze one physical thing (ball of wax) in the hopes that he will be able to
identify how it exists and how he has to know it.
-He will first show that the physical properties of the wax are only temporary. It can change its
physical form in the most fundamental of ways and as such he cannot know the wax because of its
physical form.
-Next he will show that he can’t know the wax through his imagination as the wax can change in
ways beyond his imagination.
-He comes to the conclusion that the wax can only be known through the intellect (what he calls
mental scrutiny) and this is the source of all understanding.
CARTESIAN DOUBT
• Is a systematic process of being skeptical about the truth of one’s
beliefs, which has become a characteristics methods in philosophy.
• Root of modern scientific method.
• Sought doubt the truth of all beliefs in order to determine which
beliefs could be certain were true.
• Philosophical skepticism is an approach that question the possibility
of certain knowledge.
• Eliminate all belief which it is possible to doubt, thus leaving with only
basic beliefs also known as foundational beliefs then attempts to
derive further knowledge.
TECHIQUE
1. Accepting only information you know to be true.
2. Breaking down these truths into smaller units.
3. Solving the simple problems first.
4. Making complete lists of further problems.

-Sensory experience, the primary mode of knowledge, is oftentimes

erroneous and therefore must be doubted.
-I think, therefore I am. Descartes tried to doubt his own existence, but
found that even his doubting showed that he existed, since he could
not doubt if he did not exist.
END