Question (Descartes’ Method of Doubt)
Description (Descartes’ Method of Doubt)
Write a 2-4 page essay (in Word or Rich Text Format, double spaced, size 12 font) on one of the following topics. (Cite all sources you use to avoid plagiarism). Use the text as your primary source and at least one academic secondary source.
1.) Explain Descartes’ Method of doubt; what does he hope to accomplish from this method; is Descartes a skeptic?
2.) What is the significance of Descartes’ Cogito argument. How does it relate to the “evil demon” and dreaming doubt arguments?
3.) Does Descartes believe in God? If so discuss his argument(s) for the existence of God. Are they convincing? Why or why not? If you don’t think that Descartes actually believes in God defend your position.
4.) Discuss the so called “Cartesian Circle”; (a good source for this discussion are the articles on Descartes at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; is Descartes guilty of begging the question or arguing in a circle in his discussion of God as the guarantor of clear and distinct ideas and his clear and distinct idea of God?
5.) Explain the relationship between satyagraha and swaraj for Gandhi. How does his concept of non-violent resistance relate to his beliefs about God and punishment?
6.) How widely and to what effect has Gandhi’s non-violent resistance been employed in political struggles? what are some of its advantages and disadvantages? 7.) Explain Gandhi’s contention that external independence (swaraj) depends upon internal swaraj. Do you think his reasoning is correct? why or why not?
8.) Compare and contrast Gandhi and Plato on the issue of appearance and reality.
(Cite all sources you use to avoid plagiarism)
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Solution (Descartes’ Method of Doubt)
Descartes’ Method of Doubt
Rene Descartes developed the Method of Doubt because of the false knowledge or opinions that he accepted as truth from the past. He believed that because those false opinions existed, then all knowledge is open to reasonable doubt. But why do false opinions exist? Descartes explained that one cause of these false opinions or the uncertainty of knowledge is our senses. He believed that our senses are deceptive and cause error in our knowledge. For this reason, he realized that there is a need for establishing a method that can hold a firm foundation of knowledge. As he stated, that time he was aware of this It became known to him that “for once I had to raze everything in my life, down to the very bottom, so as to begin again from the first foundations, if I wanted to establish anything firm lasting in the sciences” (Descartes 13).
Moreover, the Methodic Doubt showed the four chronological order of the method and these were presented in Part Two of his book, Discourse on Method. In the first one, Descartes was to reject anything as true that he evidently knew to be false. According to him, “that is, carefully to avoid precipitous judgment and prejudice; and to include nothing more in my judgments than presented itself to my mind with such clarity and distinctness that I would have on occasion to put it in doubt” (Descartes 10). Therefore, the first method explained that one must be in the state of doubt to begin the method. One must doubt all previous and new knowledge accumulated, for our senses are deceptive and might lead us to error. However, we must keep in mind that to doubt does not mean thinking that our beliefs are false. It means suspending judgment as to their truth.…………for help with this assignment (Descartes’ Method of Doubt) contact us via Email Address: consulttutor10@gmail.com
Also Read: https://consulttutor.com/descartes-meditations-one-and-two/
Also Read: https://www.britannica.com/topic/methodic-doubt#:~:text=methodic%20doubt%2C%20in%20Cartesian%20philosophy,empirical%20knowledge%2C%20and%20mathematical%20knowledge. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-epistemology/ https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7t43f