At the onset of his philosophical career, Descartes explored the primary principle of the emerging scientific method as advanced by Galileo. The latter’s postulations had proven to be successful. Descartes aimed at showing that Galileo’s scientific method was consistent with Christianity. As a result, he reckoned that the scientific method was not a threat to Christianity. In the Meditations , Descartes aimed to give a basis for the scientific method. His argument in this regard was that as opposed to the senses, scientific knowledge lies in the mind . Secondly, he sought to prove the compatibility of religion and science. This he did by postulating two components of the world, which are body and mind. Further, he argued that while science was applicable to the body , the religious truth would be useful in dealing with the mind and soul.
In a bid to prove that science was based on firm foundations, which lay in the mind as opposed to the senses, Descartes first brought into doubt all beliefs that originated from senses. In these arguments, the scholar did not aim to show the inexistence of anything or the impossibility of knowing the existence of anything. Rather, he sought to express that individual knowledge of such matters through the senses is open to doubt. His argument is that if scientific knowledge were derived from senses, then people would be ignorant of anything that existed outside of them. Thus, the lack of knowledge of the existence of external objects would make it difficult for such knowledge to be relayed through the senses but rather via the mind. Descartes used three arguments to open peoples’ knowledge to doubt. These were the dream argument, evil demon argument and deceiving God argument. In each of the three arguments , the main argument is that external objects are no perceived directly but rather through the contents of individuals’ minds and the images produced by the external objects. This is because the ‘sense experience’ does not put people in contact with the objects per se but rather with the mental image formed by them. Therefore, sense perception cannot provide a certainty that anything exists in the external world which corresponds to the images formed in the mind . Thus, Descartes used the three arguments to motivate doubt in the veracity of peoples’ sense experience.
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In physics, Descartes came up with the first distinct modern formulation of the laws of nature and motion’s conservation principle. The scholar is also behind the planetary motion theory. Further, his advancement of the mechanical theory was aimed at refuting Aristotle’s take on the natural phenomenon. According to Aristotle, a material body was comprised of a primary matter and a substantial form. He further argued that the latter provides the causal capacities of a body. Descartes admitted having had a similar view on gravity, in which case he viewed the substantial form a teleological mental characteristic of bodies . In this regard, he argued “what makes it especially clear that my idea of gravity was taken largely from the idea I had of the mind is the fact that I thought that gravity carried bodies towards the centre of the earth as if it had some knowledge of the centre within itself. For this surely could not happen without knowledge, and there can be any knowledge except in a mind ” ( Descartes & Cottingham, 2013). As a result, the disputed the scholastic view of the natural phenomenon. In the field of Mathematics, Descartes called various propositions into doubt as he challenged all the beliefs held regarding common-sense ontology. He argued that assuming that perception informs all opinions seemed to be based on the view that the Cartesian problem of the doubt with regard to mathematics is an example of the challenge of doubt with regard to the existence of substances.
Two key objections can be raised regarding Descartes’s arguments. For instance, it could be argued that the Meditations does not postulate that universal doubt should flow from adherence but rather, doubt ought to result in positive reasons for doubt. However, Descartes would introduce other skeptical arguments by acknowledging that such reasons are necessary. A second objection would be in the form of distinguishing doubt into two ways through which doubt overpowers knowledge. These include belief-defeating doubts which are aimed at undermining individual beliefs and convictions. The other form is the justification-defeating doubts. In this case, it could be argued that belief-defeating doubts are bound to undermine knowledge. However, Descartes would lean towards the existing philosophical traditions and argue that some truths may be believed in peoples’ heart. However, knowledge of these truths might be lacking. Thus, the scholar would cite the methodic doubt in which case the skeptical scenarios are meant to appreciate the need for both belief and knowledge. In this regard, while people may believe in something, knowledge in support of the same may be lacking. On these matters, Descartes says “ no sane person has ever seriously doubted ” ( Descartes & Cottingham, 2013). Thus, he would also argue that his postulations do not necessary require dissent from the beliefs they undermine. In this regard, individuals would require avoiding opinions that are uncertain and indubitable with the same breath as with the false ones. This would also be strengthened by his take that “ there may be reasons which are strong enough to compel us to doubt, even though these reasons are themselves doubtful, and hence are not to be retained later on” ( Descartes & Cottingham, 2013).
References
Descartes, R., & Cottingham, J. (2013). René Descartes: Meditations on first philosophy: With selections from the objections and replies . Cambridge University Press.
