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Cartesian doubt is a form of philosophical scepticism associated with the writings and methodology of René Descartes[1][2]
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Characteristics
Cartesian doubt is methodological. Its purpose is to use doubt as a route to certain knowledge by finding those things which could not be doubted.[3] The fallibility of sense data in particular is a subject of Cartesian doubt.[3]
Descartes' method
René Descartes, the originator of Cartesian doubt, automatically put all beliefs, ideas, thoughts, and matter in doubt. He showed that his grounds, or reasoning, for any knowledge could just as well be false. Sensory experience, the primary mode of knowledge, is often erroneous and therefore must be doubted. For instance, what one is seeing may very well be a hallucination. There is nothing that proves it cannot be. In short, if there is any way a belief can be disproved, then its grounds are insufficient. From this, Descartes proposed two arguments, the dream and the demon.[2]
The dream
Descartes, knowing that the context of our dreams, while possibly unbelievable, is often life-like, hypothesized that humans can only believe that they are awake. There are no sufficient grounds by which to distinguish a dream experience from a waking experience. For instance, Subject A sits at her computer, typing this article. Just as much evidence exists to indicate that her composing this article is reality as there is to demonstrate the opposite. Descartes conceded that we live in a world that can create such ideas as dreams. However, by the end of The Meditations, he concludes that we can distinguish dream from reality at least in retrospect.[2]
The demon
Descartes reasoned that our very own experience may very well be controlled by an evil demon of sorts. This demon, or genius, is powerful enough to control anybody. He could have created a superficial world that we may think we live in. [2]
Eradication
Descartes believed that doubt can be erased by studying the "first person".[clarification needed] This heralded the term "cogito ergo sum" – "I think, therefore I am". [2]
References
- ^ "A Philosophical Glossary" edited by Justin Leiber, Philosophy Department, University of Houston, USA.
- ^ a b c d e Roger Scruton. Modern Philosophy: An Introduction and Survey. London: Penguin Books, 1994.
- ^ a b "Cartesian Doubt and Cartesian Rationalism" Prof J. Strayer
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