Descartes’ Philosophy: Clarity, Distinctions, and Ideas
Descartes’ Philosophy
Clarity and Distinction
Descartes establishes a comparison with the perception of an object. The perception of an object is clear, while the recollection of an object is less clear, and illusions or false memories are even less clear. Similarly, the impression created by an idea whose content is immediately present in the intellect is a clear idea.
Distinction and clarity are closely related. A distinct idea is separated from all others and defined in relation to them. Distinction is obtained by bringing clarity to its peak, eliminating all that is obscure. An idea is clear to the extent that it is present immediately in the understanding. A clear idea can exist alongside obscure ones, and it is distinct because it is not mixed with other, extraneous ideas. A distinct idea is always clear, but a clear idea is not always distinct.
Doubt
Doubt is a state of mind that suspends or postpones judgment. Skeptics maintain a radical and universal doubt, claiming the inability to distinguish the true from the false. However, Descartes proposes a provisional, methodical doubt that aims to reach the truth.
This method is characterized by its radicalism (it does not support any intermediate between truth and falsehood) and its universality. It is also rational, given the presence of reasons to doubt, and voluntary, meaning it is based on a conscious decision to doubt.
Key Concepts
- Idea: Descartes uses “idea” to mean the form of all our thoughts, the immediate perception of which we are aware. When we understand what we say, we have in us the idea of the thing that our words mean.
- Ingenio: Descartes explains this as broader than intellect, including imagination and memory.
- Nature: The essence and characteristic property of each individual.
- Thinking: Descartes uses “think” to mean everything that happens in us so that we perceive it immediately. This includes understanding, willing, imagining, and feeling.
- Good Sense: This refers to the ability to perceive external objects or bodies. It also has two other meanings: the natural ability to distinguish true from false, and wisdom. These two senses are related, as common sense is the instrument for gaining wisdom, and wisdom helps us reach perfection through the method.
Concept, Idea, and Their Types
Descartes says that thinking relies directly on ideas. Ideas are like graphical representations of things, providing content for thought. The certainty of the mental existence of an idea does not guarantee that the content of that idea actually exists outside the mind. The existence of the things we think about becomes problematic.
Descartes analyzes the nature of ideas, distinguishing two aspects: ideas as ways of thinking (mental acts) and ideas as images representing something (possessing objective representational content). Ideas as mental acts are all alike. But as representations of things, they differ because they represent different things.
Descartes then analyzes how ideas differ in their content. Ideas representing material things have more objective reality than those representing qualities. He distinguishes three types of ideas: adventitious, factual, and innate.
- Adventitious Ideas: Ideas that seem to come from outside but actually originate from our own thoughts. Their cause is sensory perception.
- Factual Ideas: Ideas that the mind constructs from others, created by imagination. Descartes rejects both adventitious and factual ideas as a starting point for demonstrating extramental reality.
- Innate Ideas: These are the ideas that thought has of itself. Descartes’ claim of innateness doesn’t mean we are born with conscious knowledge of these ideas, but that reason has a natural predisposition to form them. They spring naturally, spontaneously, and immediately in our thinking. Their existence corresponds to our nature.