Saint Anthony Mary Claret College
Philosophy 103: Modern Philosophy
Amisola, Michael Jhon L.
A Philosophical Reflection on Rene Descartes Methodic Skepticism
Thesis Statement: Methodic Skepticism or methodic doubt as a way to find absolute certain
starting point for building up certain and distinct knowledge.
Cartesian doubt is also known as Cartesian skepticism, methodical doubt or hyperbolic doubt.
Cartesian doubt is a systematic process of being skeptical about (or doubting) the truth of ones
beliefs, which has become a characteristic method in Philosophy.1 Descartes methodic
skepticism proliferated the regressive analytic philosophy which eminently discuss the certainty
of knowledge from effects to cause. The manner analyzing beginning from the cause leading
backwards the other causes. It Contrary to the idea of a posteriori knowledge. He was not
concerned with explaining the mechanics of how we form ideas from experience instead he
wanted to affirm the fact that our minds are capable of knowing some ideas with absolute clarity
and distinctness. The method of doubt paves way for Descartes to find absolute certain starting
point for building up knowledge. In doubting or in other word thinking is one way of proving
that knowing thing out of experiential manner, particularities, the divine, evil and mathematical
equations. To begin by doubting everything.
In his book on Meditations of First Philosophy specifically in the First Meditation it
extremely emphasizes what are those subject to doubts and those which are not. What are the
subjects that are capable of knowing? Sometimes some things are taken as they are, but deep
within it is rooted with fundamental truths. Yes, it is the activity in the mind that flourishes and
comes to knowing yet for Descartes knowledgeable truths are not only within the things that can
be experience or experimented. This philosophical paper does not try to prove how we attain
certainty of truths rather it presents Descartes method on knowing ideas distinctly and certain
1
"Methodological Skepticism," Paranormal Analyst, November 1, 2004, p.1, accessed February 15, 2017,
http://theparanormalanalyst.com/key-terms/methodological-skepticism/.
with orderly procedure in mind. It also presents Rene Descartes epistemological source of
knowledge.
Descartes provides clear definition and distinction on dream world, wakeful state and
thee body. He start to doubt and think on the contingency of on the sense perception. In sensate
manner, everything appears to be authentic and realistic, of which the things always appear as
they are in first glance. An action or event seemingly realistic. However, it appeals to the idea
coming from world of dreams. Senses arouse and are not close to the mind. Senses are
deceptive. It is just like we know some certainties because we come to experience like Descartes
how can one be sure on something if he does not know the common ground of it that one way or
another he has been deceived. It is like seeing things from afar and in less distance, such make a
very great deal of difference and so for Descartes senses are deceptive. In the disposition of
dreaming it is really like in the real world. Anything can be done and happen in the world of
dreams. Dreams are ideas but not distinct ideas, so for Descartes first meditation it must be
dismissed. The method puts on little emphasis upon sense experience and experiments in
achieving knowledge. It tackles on how senses appear to be deceiving. It may not be
unnoticeable in the context but in analytical thinking, senses have been proven to be deceiving.
That is why Descartes appeal for himself not to trust the senses and dismiss it for thus it is
subject to legitimacy of knowledge and doubting.
In wakeful state, Descartes also dismiss the imagination as it too pertains to certainty on
knowledge because although some unusual item in dream world have their alignments in
wakeful state which are images. Things that appear during the interval of time in dreams there
are particularities that are aligned in the real word or wakeful state. A person cannot deny
however that he or she has his own hands and body parts unless he/she is numb and. The
problem that Descartes proposes is what things appear on dreams are eternally indistinguishable
from that of waking experience. Thus, it is only a fabrication of what a person had in dream
world. That although one is awakes but it is also possible that all that is happening around is a
dream or hallucinations. So, he doubted as well whether to trust those figural alignments that
appears in wakeful state. After having dismissed the sense perception and the imagination.
Rene Descartes also begin doubting the generalities such as the body. He come to dwell in the
motion that what if also generalities are functioning becomes it leads toward something. The
particularities such as the body movements and motions are only deceptions. What if there are
more causal than those? Such thing and question seems to come up in the mind of Descartes and
doubted.
There are particular things that constitute the motion as to appear in dream world. Well in
fact such generalities our body are not indubitable and are existent. As a matter of fact, it is.
The mind and body are two of different things. If knowing something or the articulation of the
ideas comes from the mind so it is not necessary to have the reference of the body as well as the
body to the mind. The thought is already in the mind and all the extensions are out of those
natures of truth. I would like to affirm Descartes proposition that Ideas are effects and that their
causes must be discovered. It is just simple to say commonly in our days that I know something
but what about the grounds of knowing and the knowledge where does it come from and are they
liable enough to move to the conclusion on believing to something without accurate assurance of
certainty. There is something in the mind declaring as true that even all generalities will be
removed and dismissed but the fact will still remain in the mind even if one is dreaming or not.
That the Square has always four sides and mathematical equations were always as it is.
Descartes looked at Mathematics to be the best method of clear and precise thinking.2 It
is certain for him that mathematics present the orderly way manner of thinking. It is in the
mathematics that according to the books; he found that there is something fundamental about the
mental operations. However, considering the mathematical truths for Descartes also doubted the
fundamental truths. Fundamental truths that are independent on any empirical realities in the real
world. He doubted that what if knowledge that he has, the fundamental knowledge that he have
known before that come from God; the Devine source is also not true. He tried to contest in his
meditation that what if 2+2= 4 one day will no longer equals to five. If this equation is true from
now then it must be true everywhere, what if it is not? So, he doubted the knowledge that he has
that he is deceived and God permits it to happen. He doubted whether God is existent or not. God
also can be mistaken, since he is the true source of all being, everything happens comes from the
2
Samuel Enoch Stumpf and James Fieser, Socrates to Sartre and Beyond: A History of Philosophy, 7th ed.
(New York, USA: McGraw - Hill, 2003), p. 226.
will of God. Therefore, it is also that God also permits to humans to be deceived and mistaken.
The thing here is that God is all knowing, good and benevolent and how can such idea of perfect
being would permit it to happen.
According to Richmond Journal of Philosophy that referring to Descartes, the Evil
Demon can be ourselves. Given that this is the case, the Evil Demon a figure devoted to
deception and inducing error can only be ourselves, albeit in a guise that we are not able to
recognise at first. More exactly, the Demon is simply the subject that does not know its own
nature and ground, the subject that has not discovered its true identity or being; that does not
know itself as the cogito, the presence of thought to itself. Evil, in other words, is for Descartes
an epistemological deficiency. 3 The evil genus works because of the human minds shallow
capacity and indistinct judgment on something. It is impossible for the evil genus to construct
goodness and is capable of order. Thus, for Descartes he cant allow that everything is made out
of chance. There must be a good God.
Now what remains is the I. Descartes pertains to the thinking self and it much clearly
illustrated in his first meditation that to what he pertains as the cogito. In the latter part of his
dwell on that doubt what he cannot deny really is that he is doubting. The act of doubting does
not come from evil but from God. And the very act of doubting is certain and distinct that he is
existing. In as much relevance to world where everything has been appearing to be realistic what
is persistent to remain and truly appears to be sufficient enough to say that doubting, thinking is a
fossil and proof of existence. The whole Philosophy of Descartes was virtually contained in that
initial decision, for the I think, hence I am is the first principle of Descartes philosophy, but it is
his pledge to mathematical evidence that led Descartes to the I think.4
3
Keith Crome, "Descartes' Evil Demon," Richmond Journal of Philosophy 11, Winter 2005, p.6-7, accessed February
19, 2017, http://theparanormalanalyst.com/key-terms/methodological-skepticism/.
4
Etienne Gilson, The Unity of Philosophical Experience (New York, USA: Charles Scribner's Sond, 1937),
p.132.
Etiene Gilson, The Unity of Philosophical Experience (San Francisco, USA: Ignatius Press, 1999), p.132.
What are the subjects that are capable of knowing? According to Descartes. Here
Descartes Epistemological Justification presents the true source of knowledge which is the
innate ideas. The justification of certainty and attainment of knowledge in the point of view of
internalism, contrary to the externalist view. The externalist try to explain and articulate
knowledge as to how it appears by it physical existence towards the senses. In internalism, it is
the person perceiving the idea not the thing to which how it appears but to the ego perceiving the
idea thus it is the innate ideas. Descartes searched for the truth and found it in the act of
doubting. Whether awake or not all illusions are illusions are dismissed and the only thing that
remain certain and probable is that there is no doubt that thinking and doubting is the I am.
