Descartes was one of the significant modernistic thinkers in philosophy to put forward interesting ideologies on reason and method of eradicating doubt. According to Descartes, the very nature of our senses deceives us, and it is essential to employ reason in measuring any doubt that our senses put forward. Similarly, Hume creates a similar approach to human conscience, refuting the truths that are associated with our perceptions. However, Hume’s methodology was limited to assessing deception and doubt from our perceptions. Descartes is inclined to think that every doubt is a deviation from true beliefs and that each aspect of our reasoning requires clean re-evaluation to eradicate doubt. Any belief that causes doubt in reason and perception does not possess any properties of truth. In this regard, this essay addresses the similarities presented by Descartes and Hume on the method of doubt, their differences, and which of the two philosophers has a rational approach to achieving true beliefs.
First, the two philosophers’ approaches are aimed at achieving certainty in their reasoning and perceptions. The two philosophers had different approaches to achieving certainty, and refuting any doubt in their beliefs, but the goal was the same. For example, Descartes’ method begins with refuting everything that he knows, and creating a new basis of reasoning that can be justified using the measurement of any doubt. Descartes shows that every true belief is a result of doubtless reason in many ways. Descartes does not trust any of his senses and constantly questions their ability to create realistic perceptions, beliefs, and truths. On the other hand, Hume is a skeptic, claiming that beliefs are results of our perceptions.
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Moreover, in every belief, Hume saw aspects of illusions on reality and adequately questioned his perceptions on the external realm. It is prudent to note that the two philosophers have innate doubt on the senses that create their realities. According to Hume, senses only create images and representations of the reality that they perceive. The senses create images in mind, which cannot be relied upon to justify true belief. Hume gives an allegory of a table that diminishes as one moves further away from the object. It is the image perceived that lessens and not the object. The difference is the very cause of doubt in every perception. Therefore, determining the truthfulness of a belief is dependent on the images and illusions that occur. Similarly, Descartes refutes all his senses and decides to trace back beliefs through fresh mental imagery. The bottom line is, both philosophers tend to test the truthfulness of beliefs through tracing back sensations produced by the sensory organs.
Secondly, both philosophers tend to preserve impartiality in their reason, and the establishment of true beliefs. Through prudence, both individuals question their very existence and perceptions. For example, Hume stresses that everything that one knows forms the basis of certainties, whose truthfulness is subject to doubt. The certainties are the major basis of truth, and one has to move through distinctive steps to review beliefs and perceptions. Hume’s skepticism aids him to measure doubt similarly as Descartes, making the two philosopher’s methods similar. Hume doubts everything and passes it as a fallacy because our mental faculties are incapable of creating concrete truths from the external objects that they interact with in their daily encounters. Additionally, doubt causes deception, an aspect that the two philosophers sought to find its roots. Through his skeptic approach, Hume shows how people are deceived through perceptions. Descartes establishes this truth by showing how senses cause people to have different beliefs.
Thirdly, senses form much of the doubt that human beings experience on earth. Through their reasoning, the two philosophers establish that senses must be constantly reviewed and corrected to create true beliefs. A one-stop review still presents chances of the doubt. Descartes holds that each doubt and action must be associable with the original perception or impression. The act of tracing is a review of the perception of the senses to eradicate any existing doubt that may foster deception. Hume uses this methodology of tracing the fallibility of objects in most of his work. For example, in the action of thinking, one doubts his sensory perceptions, and little can be done to move beyond the doubt. One must constantly review their mental imagery to arrive at the most appropriate representation of their reality.
Another similarity is that both philosophers fault knowledge that they have had for their entire life to create a rather rational approach to their way of thinking. Descartes uses this approach to reason and create new sensory perceptions. Hume claims that everything is a deception, and his knowledge of the universe cannot justify any truthfulness in his mental faculty. The faulting of knowledge is an innate characteristic that makes Hume and Descartes methods similar. Descartes and Hume questioned any available sources of true knowledge. Additionally, Descartes and Hume believed in one source of perceptions and beliefs. However, none of the philosophers was able to give satisfactory evidence of the existence of the external force or spirit (God). In a nutshell, the methods that Hume and Descartes used were aimed at justifying what could be known with concrete certainty.
Nevertheless, the two philosophers also exemplify many differences in their methods of eradicating doubt and achieving universal beliefs. For example, Descartes mainly questioned the knowledge he attained in life to find any doubt, and thus reshape his beliefs. However, Hume created a different approach to the issue, questioning the very nature of human understanding of the objects around him. The two approaches are diverse, as perception is not solely dependent on knowledge. Additionally, the method that Hume uses is rational, questioning only some truths and knowledge of human understanding. Thus, some aspects of doubt are left out in the methodology of Hume. However, Descartes at the beginning of his reasoning refutes everything that exists, and which he has ever known. The approach shows that everything is of doubt, even God and his existence.
However, Descartes clears most of his doubt about existence and the existence of the supreme God. The variant of the two philosophers is that some things are not worth doubting, as Hume frequently attests. Hume’s method makes him retain some doubt in his way of reasoning. For example, Hume justifies that there exist internal and external perceptions that individuals are predestined to have in their lives. The external perceptions, which are formed mostly of imagery, create doubts about the existence of God. However, internal intuitions and perceptions, which include dreams, justify the existence of God, a belief that is free of doubt. In this regard, Hume seems to have an incomplete approach to questioning his beliefs, while Descartes’ methodology seems to gain accuracy in removing doubt from any belief.
In conclusion, Descartes’ method seems to possess adequate true beliefs because of the approach and the span which the method uses to question beliefs. For example, without any prior knowledge, one can easily find out the doubt of a belief from a rational approach. Moreover, refuting any prior knowledge frees the sensory organs of any doubt on reality creating a good way to create good judgment. Moreover, Rene’s method is boundless, and not limited to aspects of deception of the external and internal perceptions. Every aspect of the belief and its doubt is measured without any prejudice. Hume’s method, which is embedded in refuting the truth, is incomplete as it does not measure all aspects that doubts may exist to deter a certain belief.
