The Question Of Human Existence - 1776 Words

The question of human existence is a lingering theme in modern philosophy. This controversial inquiry has led philosophers on tangents about whether or not the mind is separable from the body. Renà © Descartes, often referred to as the father of modern philosophy, first questioned this idea. The 17th century French philosopher stood out for being an intense rationalist. Rationalism is the belief in knowledge by thinking reasonably, rather than emotionally. In a time when many philosophers backed up their arguments with religion, Descartes trusted in nothing more than logic. Due to rapid new discoveries in science, that were proving many old theories to be wrong, Descartes believed philosophy needed a fresh start. This fresh start would†¦show more content†¦Descartes decides to try to build his foundation on this notion of ridding himself of bias opinions and allowing himself to fall into a whirlpool of doubt. He receives this idea by reminiscing on past beliefs that he once believed were right, but are now proven to be wrong. For example, children believe in Santa Claus, but later find out that he is not real. Descartes’ goal was to find something he could deem as undoubtedly true. To do this, he set up three ways to doubt that will help discover if we indeed exist. On his quest for certainty around the question as to whether we exist, Descartes began by observing that our human senses are deeply unreliable. He begins by stating, â€Å"Surely whatever I had admitted until now as most true I received either from the senses or through the senses† (60). He then goes on to say, â€Å"However, I have noticed that the senses are sometimes deceptive; and it is a mark of prudence never to place our complete trust in those who have deceived us even once† (60). His aim in this argument is to show that our knowledge through the senses is open to doubt because in the past our senses have fooled us. Descartes, living in the time of booming m odern science, observed that our senses have been wrong countless of times. For example, many believed that the earth was flat due to our sense of sight. One could not see past the horizon, therefore the earth must be level with our eyesight. Science then proved this