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Descartes’ Proof That He Exist Writing Assignment
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Descartes famously argues “I think, therefore I am” (though he doesn’t say this in Meditation II). What is Descartes’ basis for the conclusion that he exists? Is his argument compelling? What does he take himself to be? Consider one of your own objections to Descartes’ proof that he exists. How would Descartes respond, and would that response be adequate?
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Descartes’ Proof That He Exist
Descartes wrote his meditations trying to discover what he knew. He was to use this certain truth to make it the base of his knowledge. He believed that the existence of people is free as long as they become mindful of their thoughts. Descartes was curious to know about the certainty of different things that were stable and long-lasting. This is because he had noted that many of the things which he believed to be true were false (KIM 340). Hence, he decided to use the method of doubt to build the foundation of his knowledge by questioning all that he had once believed in. His method of argument was similar to that of sceptics from the ancient Greek, who claimed that no person should be sure of anything (Emma 5). Additionally, Descartes main idea in questioning his beliefs was to ensure that he finds something which he could be sure of. He hoped to change everything and start afresh from his new foundation of knowledge. He believed that from this new foundation, he could be able to shape up a picture of something which could be considered to be certain.
Descartes came up with a question known as posterior knowledge which stated that knowledge is gained from external experiences and sensory discernment. Thus, he gave a thought to this question since he believed that our senses could mislead us at times. So, he indicated that if a malevolent whiz entirely used his effort to deceive him, then he would distrust such kind of views (Skerry 147). This made him put the posterior opinions into doubt, thus concluding that those types of ideas were not right in forming the base of knowledge (KIM 338). However, Descartes supposed that there is nothing that could make him doubt about his existence. He supported this argument by saying that if he is either deceived or not, this means that he exists. Additionally, he argued that if the malicious demons betrayed him, he would involve his mind by thinking and the thinking process would clearly show that he existed. Thus, he chose this argument to be the basis for his knowledge. However, Descartes suggests that even his physique cannot be restricted from uncertainty.
However, Ayer criticized the cogito argument made by Descartes. He claimed that Descartes is saying that "I think therefore I am," he never showed that he recognized anything altogether, but then he was trying to display how sort of statement align with each other (Maung 63). He termed the account to be tautologous because logically it indicated that one exists. Ayer said that...
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