Philophers David Hume And Descartes
How do we know what we know? Ideas reside in the minds of intelligent beings, but a clear perception of where these ideas come from is often the point of debate. It is with this in mind that René Descartes set forth on the daunting task to determine where clear and distinct ideas come from. A particular passage written in Meditations on First Philosophy (Descartes 1641), named the “Wax Passage” shall be examined. Descartes’ thought process shall be followed, and the central point of his argument discussed. These findings shall be contrasted with the thoughts of David Hume (**insert fact about Hume here**)
In Meditations on First Philosophy, it is the self-imposed task of Descartes ...
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however, was in the proof or disproof of the external world.
Once Descartes established himself as a “thinking thing”, his attention turned to the external world. Descartes reflects upon his dealing with physical objects, and questions the state of corporeal nature, dealing directly with the senses. Re-stating the fact that Descartes believes that these sensations of taste, touch, smell, and the like can be fooled, he attacks these bodily perceptions, not from the point of “what makes them true”, but rather “what makes them false”. Descartes asks, “What is there in all of this that is not every bit as true as the fact that I exist…” (Descartes:20). These senses lead him to ideas of external objects, which he claims to perceive “clearly and distinctly”, yet he is not willing to trust his senses; he is not willing to state truthfully that he is positive these things exist. In doubting all that exists, a sort of intellectual barrier had been erected, forcing Descartes’ ...
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then “so what was there in the wax that was so distinctly grasped?…the senses of taste, smell, sight, touch or hearing has now changed; and yet the wax remains” (Descartes:21) In answer to this, he suggests that perhaps the wax is not merely the sum of its sensory attributes. Descartes argues that if all attributes are stripped away, what is left is the “essence” of the wax. This essence can manifest itself to him in an infinite number of ways. The wax can assume any shape, size, or smell, and since Descartes assumes that he himself is incapable of imagining the wax in infinite ways, the insight he has gained into the wax was not brought about by his faculty of imagination. With ...
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"Philophers David Hume And Descartes." Essayworld.com. July 28, 2006. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Philophers-David-Hume-And-Descartes/49830.
"Philophers David Hume And Descartes." Essayworld.com. July 28, 2006. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Philophers-David-Hume-And-Descartes/49830.
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