Descartes’ Philosophical Method, Doubt, and Proofs of God
The Rule of the Method
The aim of Descartes’ philosophical project coincides with the definition of good sense or reason: the ability to judge and distinguish the true from the false. But it is not enough to possess reason; the main thing is to apply it well. What is needed is a way or method to serve as a guide for the proper use of reason.
Influences on the Cartesian Method
A) Logic and mathematics provide an influence on the Cartesian method. Logic highlights deductive power, while criticizing its inability to provide new knowledge. Mathematics highlights the ability to construct knowledge from certain obvious axioms. The method will be mainly mathematical, combining intuition of its axioms and deduction of new knowledge from them.
Structure of Reason and Method
B) Structure of reason and method: Intuition and deduction. Explain!
The Rules of the Method
C) The rules of the method:
First Rule: Evidence (Criterion of Truth)
Not to admit anything as true if it had not been clearly known as such. One must avoid precipitation and prejudice, and support judgments solely on what is presented as clearly and distinctly to the mind, leaving no reason to doubt it. This is the criterion of truth. It will only be truly obvious, immediately clear, and distinct.
The obvious ideas can only be intuited, not deduced. The clear and distinct ideas our author calls simple ideas. Clarity means that the perception of the idea is presented to us immediately (e.g., “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line”). Distinction means that the idea to which we refer is precise and unmistakable with another idea (e.g., the idea of a point).
Second Rule: Analysis
Divide each difficulty into as many parts as possible and necessary to resolve them more easily. This process of analysis is the one to be followed by reason to access from complex ideas to simple ideas.
Third Rule: Synthesis
To drive my thoughts in order, beginning with the simplest and most easily knowable objects, to rise gradually to the knowledge of the most complex. These two rules (Analysis and Synthesis) govern the operation of deduction.
Fourth Rule: Enumeration
To make counts as complete and revisions so broad that one could be sure not to miss anything. This represents verification of the analysis and synthesis.
Cartesian Doubt and Its Levels
3.5.1 Cartesian doubt (Levels):
First Level: The Senses Deceive Us
Given that our senses sometimes lead to error, I decided to assume that there was nothing that was shown as we imagine, if we could be cheated sometimes, perhaps forever.
Second Level: Mathematical Errors
Since there are men who err in thinking and acting in paralogisms, thinking that I, like another, was subject to error, I rejected as false all the reasons demonstrated by both logical and mathematical knowledge, because paralogisms exist.
Third Level: Sleep and Wakefulness
Indistinguishability between sleep and wakefulness. Grate a little! Meditations.
Fourth Level: The Evil Genius Hypothesis
The evil genius hypothesis…
The Second Truth: God
3.5.5 The Second Truth: God (Arguments):
First Causal Argument
Descartes has the idea of a perfect being. It can only be caused by a Perfect Being. The self is not perfect, so the idea of God cannot be artificial. The idea of perfection is innate, and only God can be the cause of that idea.
Second Causal Argument
This leads to the question whether the thinking self could be the cause of itself. But since it is an imperfect being, it cannot be the cause of a perfect being. Only a perfect being can be the cause of itself.
Third Argument (Ontological)
The ego has the idea of a perfect being. Upon analysis, one must realize that a being containing all the traits of perfection must also contain existence. Otherwise, this idea would represent a being that contains all perfections except existence, and therefore would not be perfect.