Your Perfect Assignment is Just a Click Away

We Write Custom Academic Papers

100% Original, Plagiarism Free, Customized to your instructions!

glass
pen
clip
papers
heaphones

100 Word Discussion Reply

100 Word Discussion Reply

 Question:

 

  • Why doesn’t Descartes simply determine what’s real by looking around him and using his sense experience?  What is the reason he felt he needed to adopt radical skepticism, and do you feel he is successful? Be sure to use passages from the Meditations or his Discourse on Method to support your assertions.

Answer:

In his Meditations, Descartes argues that sense experience is not a reliable source of knowledge about the external world, and that we must adopt a radical skeptical approach to determine what is truly real. Descartes does not trust sense experience because he believes that it can be easily deceived, and that the things we perceive through our senses may not correspond to reality. He writes, “I have often found that the senses deceive, and it is prudent never to trust completely those who have deceived us even once” (Meditation I).

Descartes’ radical skepticism is based on the idea that we cannot be certain of anything unless we can prove it with absolute certainty. He believes that we must doubt everything we know and start from scratch in order to arrive at the truth. He writes, “I will not accept anything as true that is not known to me to be such” (Meditation II).

Descartes felt he needed to adopt radical skepticism in order to establish a firm foundation for knowledge. He believed that by doubting everything, he could arrive at a core of knowledge that was certain and indubitable. He writes, “I will apply myself earnestly and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions” (Meditation II). By doubting everything, Descartes hoped to arrive at a point where he could be certain of at least one thing, which he could then use as a foundation for building a system of knowledge.

In my opinion, while Descartes’ method of doubt is certainly interesting and thought-provoking, it is not entirely successful. By doubting everything, Descartes seems to end up in a kind of solipsism, in which he is the only thing that he can be certain of. This seems like an overly extreme conclusion, and one that is not particularly useful for understanding the world around us. Furthermore, it is not clear that the evil demon hypothesis is a particularly convincing argument, as it seems to rely on a rather implausible scenario. Overall, while Descartes’ method of doubt is certainly worth considering, I do not think that it provides us with a particularly useful or practical way of approaching knowledge. – Warinthorn 

Our Service Charter

1. Professional & Expert Writers: Studymonk only hires the best. Our writers are specially selected and recruited, after which they undergo further training to perfect their skills for specialization purposes. Moreover, our writers are holders of masters and Ph.D. degrees. They have impressive academic records, besides being native English speakers.

2. Top Quality Papers: Our customers are always guaranteed papers that exceed their expectations. All our writers have +5 years of experience. This implies that all papers are written by individuals who are experts in their fields. In addition, the quality team reviews all the papers before sending them to the customers.

3. Plagiarism-Free Papers: All papers provided by Studymonk are written from scratch. Appropriate referencing and citation of key information are followed. Plagiarism checkers are used by the Quality assurance team and our editors just to double-check that there are no instances of plagiarism.

4. Timely Delivery: Time wasted is equivalent to a failed dedication and commitment. Studymonk is known for timely delivery of any pending customer orders. Customers are well informed of the progress of their papers to ensure they keep track of what the writer is providing before the final draft is sent for grading.

5. Affordable Prices: Our prices are fairly structured to fit all groups. Any customer willing to place their assignments with us can do so at very affordable prices. In addition, our customers enjoy regular discounts and bonuses.

6. 24/7 Customer Support: At Studymonk, we have put in place a team of experts who answer all customer inquiries promptly. The best part is the ever-availability of the team. Customers can make inquiries anytime.