Descartes philosophy Essay - 789 Words

Descartes’ â€Å"evil genius scenario† provides the possibility for the existence of an evil genius that is in control of our world in place on an omnipotent god. By in control, I mean that he would in some magical way compose our lives by his own will, thus making any certain knowledge about material objects impossible. This scenario presents some real questions with Descartes’ argument because it basically completely rules out the possibility of any god. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;We are imagining that Dr. Spiritus has invaded a small rural hospital and has stolen the brains of several babies. He places the brains in a large vat, provides them with the essential nutrients as well as hooking them up to electrodes that feed the false†¦show more content†¦Once we accept this, the possibility of an evil genius would be destroyed. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Should it prove impossible to determine that one is not among the victims, epistemological problems would then arise. The first and foremost problem is that we could no longer have any certain knowledge. This is so because if there was an evil genius, no empirical knowledge could be certain. This is obvious because if we were a victim of Dr. Spiritus, everything we know would be nothing be a dream conjured by the evil genius. If we could not prove that we weren’t a victim of Dr. Spiritus’ evil plot, the only thing we could be sure of is that we have a mind and our mind has thoughts. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Is there some empirical or non-empirical procedure that one might use to determine whether one is a brain in a vat rather than in a real person? The answer to this is simply no. When a human has a dream, they think that the events in the dream are actually taking place and have no idea that they are actually fast asleep in their beds. If our brain was in a vat instead of in a living body, the things that would be seen and felt would be nothing more than a mere dream. Therefore, it would be impossible to devise some sort of a test to determine the actual location of your brain. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Assuming that Dr. Spiritus has totalShow MoreRelatedDescartes Vs. Descartes Philosophy1142 Words   |  5 Pages Rene Descartes’ begins to illustrate his skeptical argument as presented in Meditation l. Descartes basic strategy to approaching this method of doubt is to defeat skepticism. This argument begins by doubting the truth of everything, from evidence of the senses to the fundamental process of reasoning. Therefore, if there is any truth in the world that overcomes the skeptical challenge then it must be indubitably true. Thus, creating a perfect foundation for knowledge. The first Meditation is anRead MoreDescartes Meditations Of First Philosophy857 Words   |  4 PagesChristopher Joao Philosophy- 201 Mr. Jurkiewicz 4 March 2016 Descartes’ - Meditation #2 Rene Descartes was a French philosopher born in 1596. 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He believedRead MoreRene Descartes s Philosophy And The Science Of Philosophy1114 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes was a rationalist who is considered the father of modern philosophy, primarily because his ideas departed from current understanding in the early 17th century, which was more feeling based (Biography.com). He was born on March 31, 1956, in France and was a very educated man. His mother sent him to a boarding school which was considered college at an early age of 8. Additionally, by the age of 22 he had obtained his degree as a lawyer. To further this, he believed that all truths wereRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1080 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, God is not mentioned until the third meditation. Descartes point of view on God simply claims his existence through the act of being. According to his claim, God must, essentially, exist as well as being an outcome of His own creation. Descartes was greatly interested in the idea that God’s being promoted an external force that controlled all beings that supported his presence. Descartes declarations, presented in his Meditations onRead MoreDescartes s Meditations On First Philosophy986 Words   |  4 Pagesinwards, or as Renà © Descartes would call it, meditation. These ‘meditations’ are moments of reflecti on, time spent with one’s thoughts, and time to figure out where one is placed within the world. During one of these meditations, Descartes creates the phrase, â€Å"cogito ergo sum†, I think, therefore I am, in his monumental book, Principles of Philosophy, though it was written in another form earlier, â€Å"ego sum, ego existo†, I am, I exist, in his book Meditations on First Philosophy. This phrase, put soRead MoreDescartes : The Father Of Modern Philosophy1518 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes The father of modern philosophy, Descartes, lived in the seventeenth century. he was similar to Socrates in that he accepted his own ignorance and like Plato he doubted his senses. He did not even trust, â€Å"the knowledge handed down from the Middle Ages† (Gaarder 230). His disbelief in everything around him led him to make his own philosophy and travel all Europe in order to seek the wisdom he searched for. Descartes wanted to organize all the contemporary ideas into a philosophical systemRead MoreDescartes : The Father Of Modern Philosophy1055 Words   |  5 Pagesthe fact that I am something.† (Descartes, â€Å"Meditations on First Philosophy,† 182) Rene Descartes is widely considered the father of modern philosophy. He created many new ideas about the self, which is something that has been contested since the dawn of philosophy. Even now, the world is nowhere near a unified thought on the soul. Descartes is most famous for addressing this, and is often summarized by the famous â€Å"Cogito Ergo Sum (I think, therefore I am)†Descartes offers a great deal of importantRead MoreDescartes Philosophy On Method And Meditations On First Philosophy1620 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosophers were different from Rene Descartes, Descartes had an opinion that if he could somehow disregard everything that he knew was real, try to doubt it and it would help him in life; â€Å"I will be happy to show in this discourse what paths I have followed and to represent my life† . In his book, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes explains that his way of thinking is the best â€Å"no better proofs can be found than mine† , this shows that Descartes was really confident in his