Rationalism
can be defined as the position that reason alone, without the aid of sensory information, is capable of arriving at some knowledge, at some undeniable truths. Rene Descartes used the rationalist approach to knowledge to answer the question "What can I hold as true beyond any doubt?"
Descartes believed that knowledge is obtained by reason, rather than perception, or relying on the five human senses to become aware of things. In other words, he believed that we could acquire knowledge about the world without having to first observe the world around us, but just by looking into our minds
Descartes was particularly concerned with discovering something that he could hold as true beyond any ...
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things are nought but the illusions and
dreams of which this genius has availed himself in order to lay
traps for my credulity… (330)
Ultimately, Descartes discovered what he felt was the one irrefutable truth. He could not doubt that he existed, and he also could not doubt that he was a "thinking thing". From this he concluded that the self that thinks clearly exists, which is the conception of the phrase 'Cogito ergo sume'; I think, therefore I am.
Once Descartes established himself as a "thinking thing", he then focused his attention on the external world. He demonstrated that his bodily perceptions would give him ideas of external objects, which seemed to be perceived clearly and distinctly, yet he would not trust these senses because he could not be positive that these things truly existed. Descartes argued that the clear and distinct ideas of objects external to one's body are not perceived through the senses, but rather through the intellect. He clarified his ...
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the attributes. Namely, the senses can be fooled, but not the mind.
According to Descartes, God guarantees that we can come to know the world around us; He is the foundation of all truth. We must first know God before we can be certain about anything else in the world around us. After establishing his own existence, Descartes reasoned that the imperfect nature of his being demands the existence of God. If a perfect being did not exist, then Descartes would not be aware of his own imperfection. Thus, the existence of a perfect God is the only surety that our knowledge about the world is accurate. Therefore, Descartes inferred that everything in the world around us comes from the ...
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Rationalism. (2005, July 7). Retrieved April 30, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Rationalism/29715
"Rationalism." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 7 Jul. 2005. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Rationalism/29715>
"Rationalism." Essayworld.com. July 7, 2005. Accessed April 30, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Rationalism/29715.
"Rationalism." Essayworld.com. July 7, 2005. Accessed April 30, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Rationalism/29715.
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