Descartes Was A Metaphysical Philosopher Whose Main Goal

Descartes was a metaphysical philosopher whose main goal was to obtain and isolate lasting scientific knowledge due to the long-held beliefs that were being disproved during his lifetime. However, this proved to be quite difficult as the majority of his previously held beliefs were either doubtful or able to be proven false. In an attempt to work towards his goals, Descartes developed his Dream Doubt argument. When first analyzing this argument, it is important to analyze it for all its premises, as opposed to simply the conclusions in which the argument itself draws. This allows for a better understanding of the argument. In regard to analysis, I will first present the argument piece by piece and then evaluate those components in a†¦show more content†¦When Descartes is describing this, he directly references the idea â€Å"How often, asleep at night, am I convinced of just such familiar events – that I am here in my dressing-gown, sitting by the fire – when in fact I am lying undressed in bed!† (Descartes 145). These premises lead to the third part of the argument, and essentially Descartes’ first conclusion of the argument: there’s no certain way to distinguish dreams from reality, as drawn from the premises one and two. He directly states that â€Å"Yet at the moment my eyes are certainly wide awake when I look at this piece of paper; I shake my head and it is not asleep; as I stretch out and feel my hand, I do so deliberately, and I know what I am doing. All this would not happen with such distinctness to someone asleep† (Descartes 145). Next, Descartes goes on to discuss that at times, dreaming experiences are at least sometimes false. By adding this additional premise, he is able to draw the conclusion that any, apparently, seemingly waking experience could potentially be a dreaming experience. He says this in the textbook: â€Å"Suppose then that I am dreaming, and that these particulars – that my eyes are open, that I am moving my head and stretching out my hands – are not true† (Descartes 145) Additionally, this statement further solidifies the idea that no matter how true an experience may seem, according to Descartes, it stillShow MoreRelatedRene Descartes: French Mathematician and Philosopher Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesRene Descartes: An Author Study Rene Descartes was a 17th Century mathematician and French Philosopher whose lifes work focused on providing a new prospective on the human perception of reality. The definition of this reality is seen as Descartes greatest life goal. 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