Analysis of Secondary Source
The video lecture on Reality and Knowledge is an insightful and engaging exploration of key concepts in epistemology and metaphysics. It provides a clear and concise overview of these complex philosophical topics, using the ideas of thinkers such as René Descartes and the allegory of the cave by Plato to illustrate key points (“Chapter 5 video lecture: Reality and knowledge,” n.d.). The lecture is well-structured and easy to follow, making it accessible for anyone interested in philosophy.
The video complements the textbook by bringing succinctness and cohesion to the complex topics covered (Chaffee, 2016). It provides key concepts to explore further, which can be studied in greater detail through online sources, such as Dr. Nathan Schlueter’s highlight videos (Hillsdale College, 2022). Thus, the lecture provides a valuable introduction to critical philosophical concepts and is an excellent resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of epistemology and metaphysics.
Analysis of Primary Source
Descartes’ Method of Systematic Doubt in Meditations on First Philosophy
It is important to note that René Descartes’s “Meditation on First Philosophy” is essentially about exploring the basis of reality and the nature of knowledge. The most profound method Descartes utilizes is his doubt regarding everything one knows and perceives as common sense. The philosopher thoroughly questions his memory, senses, and beliefs to derive greater reliability in his logic. It allows him to remove any preconceptions, which enables the pursuit of fundamental truth.
From Radical Doubt to the Certainty of “Cogito Ergo Sum”
After in-depth thought and contemplation, Descartes’s verdict and conclusion are reflected in his famous statement “cogito, ergo sum,” which translates as ‘I think; therefore I am’ (Descartes, 1641). However, it should be noted that he changed the statement into “I am, I exist” in “Meditation on First Philosophy” (Descartes, 1641, p. 10). In other words, the final summation of his work or meditation results from the most radical type of skepticism.
Employing the harshest form of comprehensive doubt is the primary method, which allows him to eliminate any perceived assumptions that have no factual basis in the fundamental truth he is after in his philosophical thought. This radical doubt allows him to realize that “the appearance of ownership is grounded in multiple other ways in which the body sensorily appears: namely, in the fact that the body appears to be inescapable, modified by bodily sensations, and an object of special concern” (Chamberlain, 2018, p. 3).
In other words, the bodily awareness merely confers body ownership, but this is a powerful illusion created by the senses. For example, Descartes states: “on many occasions, I have in sleep been deceived by similar illusions … there are no certain indications by which we may clearly distinguish wakefulness from sleep” (Descartes, 1641, p. 7). Thus, sensual perception is deceptive and illusory because it can be tricked. A similar logical pattern is applied to memory because one can forget or misremember.
The Mind-Body Problem Arising from Descartes’ Realization
As a result of these observations, the doubt covers not only oneself but also other people, who can be tricked and unreliable conveyors of information. The only fundamental aspect of a human being is their ability to think, to recognize that they are doing so, and to be confident that they exist (Descartes, 1641). This creates the mind-body problem because the body is external, and there is no certainty of truth in the external elements, including the body. The mind is the sole guarantor of one’s existence and thinking, whereas the body has no elements grounding it in fundamental truth.
Thus, there are two substances, mind and body, and only the former has one aspect that makes it fundamentally true: thinking. This line of thought, outlined by Descartes, is the basis for the mind-body problem in modern philosophy. The nature of reality and body has no certainty in truth, which leaves the mind and its ability to think as the sole condition of assurance that one exists.
References
Chaffee, J. (2016). The philosopher’s way: Thinking critically about profound ideas (5th ed.). Pearson.
Chamberlain, C. (2018). ‘The body I call ‘mine’: A sense of bodily ownership in Descartes. European Journal of Philosophy, 27(1), 3-24. Web.
Chapter 5 video lecture: Reality and knowledge [Video]. (n.d.).
Descartes, R. (1641). Meditations on first philosophy.
Hillsdale College. (2022). Descartes: “I Think, Therefore I Am” | Highlights Ep.45 [Video]. YouTube. Web.