{"id":127,"date":"2006-01-22T03:36:35","date_gmt":"2006-01-22T08:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=127"},"modified":"2018-08-24T03:00:51","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T07:00:51","slug":"14573-%c2%a0%c2%a0-rene-descartes-les-meditations-metaphysiques","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=127","title":{"rendered":"14573. (Ren\u00e9 Descartes) Les M\u00e9ditations Metaphysiques"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>

A stat\u00adue of Ren\u00e9 Descartes in Den Haag, Nether\u00adlands. I once sat below it, eat\u00ading a lunch of Patat\u00adje Jop\u00adpie (fries with Jop\u00adpiesaus) and pick\u00adled herring.<\/p><\/div>\n

Descarte\u2019s chief impor\u00adtance to us now lies in his men\u00adtal atti\u00adtude, and his approach to solv\u00ading prob\u00adlems. He did not always come to con\u00adclu\u00adsions that I can accept, and some\u00adtimes did not live up to his own meth\u00adods, but the sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant thing is that he tried to look at the world in a way that would be famil\u00adiar to a sci\u00aden\u00adtist in our time, or to any schol\u00adar, lawyer, doc\u00adtor, or tech\u00adni\u00adcian try\u00ading to main\u00adtain an objec\u00adtive, ratio\u00adnal discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n

For\u00admally, the Med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions are writ\u00adten in the \u201cdialec\u00adtic\u201d style that was the her\u00aditage of medieval and renais\u00adsance phi\u00adlos\u00ado\u00adphy. But Descartes was not inter\u00adested in the medieval tech\u00adnique of com\u00adpar\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adties and mak\u00ading an \u201cargu\u00adment\u201d. He was more inter\u00adested in the ques\u00adtions: \u201cWhat can I claim to know?\u201d \u201cHow shall I dis\u00adtin\u00adguish between what I believe, and what I can claim as proven?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Every sci\u00aden\u00adtist and lawyer is now famil\u00adiar with the impor\u00adtance of these ques\u00adtions. I can step out\u00adside and see a man rob\u00adbing anoth\u00ader man at gun\u00adpoint. After the event, I can give tes\u00adti\u00admony to this, but oth\u00ader peo\u00adple need not believe me if I can\u00adnot cor\u00adrob\u00ado\u00adrate it. I myself might not be cer\u00adtain, for instance, that it was not a vivid dream, which I mis\u00adtook for expe\u00adri\u00adence. A chemist might see a sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant reac\u00adtion in a test-tube. Yet, he expects oth\u00ader sci\u00aden\u00adtists to sus\u00adpend judg\u00adment on his report until it can be dupli\u00adcated. The phras\u00ading of his report will be care\u00adfully thought out to reflect the epis\u00adte\u00admo\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal and judi\u00adcial con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions that sci\u00adence depends on. There are hints and pre\u00admo\u00adni\u00adtions of this atti\u00adtude in ear\u00adlier thinkers, like Aris\u00adto\u00adtle, Euclid, Ibn Sin\u00adna, and Aquinas, but it is Descartes who brings them to the fore\u00adfront, and con\u00adcen\u00adtrates on them.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions <\/em>, Descartes works from the premise that he shouldn\u2019t claim any\u00adthing as true unless he is cer\u00adtain that is true. In oth\u00ader words, he works in a pro\u00adce\u00addure that assumes the false\u00adhood of a state\u00adment until it is proven. He rec\u00adog\u00adnizes that mind is habit\u00adu\u00adated to \u201cjump to con\u00adclu\u00adsions\u201d, to accept the evi\u00addence of the sens\u00ades auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcally. He con\u00adsid\u00aders the pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adity that the sens\u00ades might lie, and med\u00adi\u00adtates on the nature of dreams, and the pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adity of demon\u00adic influ\u00adence [by which he seems to mean what we would call insan\u00adity]. Descartes con\u00adcludes that dreams, hal\u00adlu\u00adci\u00adna\u00adtions and demon\u00adic influ\u00adence can be dis\u00adtin\u00adguished from false\u00adhood by their lack of \u201cclear\u00adness and con\u00adsis\u00adtency\u201d [\u201clumi\u00e8re et de dis\u00adtinc\u00adtion\u201d [ M\u00e9di\u00adta\u00adtion sec\u00adonde <\/em>, para.10]. He asserts that, if we accept the premise that we are think\u00ading the thought in ques\u00adtion, and thus must exist [\u201c \u2026j\u2019ai recon\u00adnu que j\u2019\u00e9tais, et je cherche quel je suis, moi que j\u2019ai recon\u00adnu \u00eatre. <\/em>\u201d M\u00e9di\u00adta\u00adtion sec\u00adonde <\/em>, para.7] , then we have a begin\u00adning point (knowl\u00adedge of exis\u00adtence) and a process (rea\u00adson\u00ading from the con\u00adsis\u00adtency or incon\u00adsis\u00adtency of the evi\u00addence of the sens\u00ades) for mak\u00ading judge\u00adments and asser\u00adtions about the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u00adever, while Descartes\u2019 method\u00adol\u00adogy strikes us as \u201cmod\u00adern\u201d, the sub\u00adjects which he wish\u00ades to apply them to do not. His pri\u00admary con\u00adcern is with using these ratio\u00adnal tech\u00adniques to form opin\u00adions con\u00adcern\u00ading the exis\u00adtence of God, nature of mind and soul, and oth\u00ader spir\u00adi\u00adtual issues. These issues still occu\u00adpy many peo\u00adple, but they are not with\u00adin the purview of the sci\u00aden\u00adtific dis\u00adci\u00adplines that Descartes inspired. Appeal\u00ading to the clear\u00adness and dis\u00adtinct\u00adness\u201d notion, Descartes sees the exis\u00adtence of God as con\u00adtin\u00adgent on one\u2019s knowl\u00adedge of one\u2019s exis\u00adtence and iden\u00adtity. Exact\u00adly how this is so, is not made very clear. He appears to be say\u00ading that God must exist because he is imag\u00adined, and noth\u00ading can be imag\u00adined unless there is some\u00adhow a ref\u00ader\u00adent which exists, albeit it could be a com\u00adpos\u00adite of such ref\u00ader\u00adents. He does not address the issue that \u201cGod\u201d in almost everyone\u2019s con\u00adcep\u00adtion incor\u00adpo\u00adrates incon\u00adsis\u00adten\u00adcies and con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtions [e.g. omnipo\u00adtence and all know\u00ading\u00adness, tran\u00adscend\u00ading time and space, etc. In the words of Homer Simp\u00adson, \u201cCan God cre\u00adate a bur\u00adrito that is too hot for him\u00adself to eat?\u201d] and thus would not pass his own test of \u201cclear\u00adness and consistency\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion VI<\/span> is con\u00adcerned with the rela\u00adtion\u00adship between the mind and the world out\u00adside the self. Hav\u00ading accept\u00aded the exis\u00adtence of both him\u00adself and of God, he wants to know if he can prove the exis\u00adtence of objects aside from these two. He con\u00adsid\u00aders both mate\u00adr\u00adial objects sug\u00adgested by the sens\u00ades and abstrac\u00adtions, such as math\u00ade\u00admat\u00adics, which are expe\u00adri\u00adenced with\u00adin the mind. Giv\u00aden the exis\u00adtence of God, and of him\u00adself, he finds it self-evi\u00addent that God has the pow\u00ader <\/em>to cre\u00adate a mind exist\u00ading inde\u00adpen\u00addent of a body, and to cre\u00adate mate\u00adr\u00adial objects out\u00adside of, and dis\u00adtinct from, both his mind and his body. The ques\u00adtion remains, can he assert <\/em>that this is in fact the case, with\u00adout vio\u00adlat\u00ading his method\u00adol\u00adogy of assert\u00ading only the prov\u00adable. Much of this med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion is devot\u00aded to the ini\u00adtial step of describ\u00ading the nature of imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion. He describes the imag\u00adin\u00ading of a three-sided fig\u00adure (a tri\u00adan\u00adgle) as an act of imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, then com\u00adpares it to the imag\u00adin\u00ading of a \u201cchil\u00adi\u00ado\u00adgon\u201d \u2014 a thou\u00adsand-sided fig\u00adure. The first he clas\u00adsi\u00adfies as \u201cimag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion\u201d, because it cre\u00adates an actu\u00adal image in the mind, and the sec\u00adond as \u201cpure intel\u00adlect\u201d [\u201cl\u2019intellection ou con\u00adcep\u00adtion pure <\/em>\u201d]. At this stage, he gives no proof that exter\u00adnal objects exist, but only asserts that these process\u00ades of imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion and intel\u00adlect, and the dis\u00adtinc\u00adtion between them, make sense only if there is a world of objects to apply them to.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is here that Descartes appeals to the sens\u00ades, which, in the ear\u00adlier Med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions, he has cast doubt on as being able to pro\u00advide con\u00advinc\u00ading proof. Giv\u00aden that God exists, that he him\u00adself exists, and that he has men\u00adtal process\u00ades that can imag\u00adine and con\u00adceive of mate\u00adr\u00adial objects with con\u00adsis\u00adtency, then there can be only two pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties. Either the objects sug\u00adgested by the sens\u00ades and con\u00adceived by imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion actu\u00adally exist, or God is a liar, or con-man, [\u201ctrompeur <\/em>\u201d] who is cre\u00adat\u00ading a huge fab\u00adric of delu\u00adsion. Descartes flat\u00adly asserts that God can not be a liar, and there\u00adfore, con\u00adsid\u00aders it proven that mate\u00adr\u00adial objects exist in a con\u00adsis\u00adtent, real world.<\/span><\/p>\n

After con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00ading the impli\u00adca\u00adtions of a num\u00adber of devi\u00ada\u00adtions from con\u00adsis\u00adtency \u2014 dreams, hal\u00adlu\u00adci\u00adna\u00adtions and the curi\u00adous phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnon of \u201cphan\u00adtom limbs\u201d [where an amputee feels the exis\u00adtence of a limb that is miss\u00ading], he comes to the con\u00adclu\u00adsion that all fit into a \u201creal\u201d world of which per\u00adcep\u00adtion and sen\u00adsory expe\u00adri\u00adence are not per\u00adfect rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtions, but which can\u00adnot be a total delu\u00adsion with\u00adout ques\u00adtion\u00ading the moral cre\u00adden\u00adtials of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Descartes view of the world attempt\u00aded to build up a log\u00adi\u00adcal struc\u00adture based on sim\u00adple premis\u00ades that would allow the mind to explore the world with\u00adout con\u00adstantly depend\u00ading on the arbi\u00adtrary and mirac\u00adu\u00adlous. In this, he was a pre\u00adcur\u00adsor of the meth\u00adods of sci\u00adence, and his atti\u00adtude inspired what would lat\u00ader come to be known as \u201cThe Age of Rea\u00adson\u201d. Carte\u00adsian think\u00ading led to aston\u00adish\u00ading progress in math\u00ade\u00admat\u00adics and science.<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u00adever, in the Sixth Med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion, Descartes\u2019 rea\u00adson\u00ading does not live up to the intent or promise behind the entire trea\u00adtise. Descartes does not seem to rec\u00adog\u00adnize that his state\u00adment that \u201cDieu n\u2019\u00e9tant point trompeur <\/em>[para.10]\u201d, that God can\u00adnot deceive, is every bit as much an irre\u00adducible premise as the ini\u00adtial step \u201cI think, there\u00adfore I Am\u201d. One can actu\u00adally imag\u00adine, with total con\u00adsis\u00adtency, a uni\u00adverse that con\u00adsists of God and Descartes\u2019 mind alone, in which God (capa\u00adble, after all, of any\u00adthing) has cre\u00adated a com\u00adplete illu\u00adsion of mate\u00adr\u00adial exis\u00adtence. It is with\u00adin the rules that Descartes has set up for himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would con\u00adclude that, while Descartes has cre\u00adated a fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading struc\u00adture, and any\u00adone with an incli\u00adna\u00adtion to sci\u00aden\u00adtific rea\u00adson\u00ading would approach it with warm feel\u00adings and respect, the M\u00e9di\u00adta\u00adtions <\/em>fail to accom\u00adplish their pur\u00adpose. Descartes did not cre\u00adate a firm struc\u00adture of proven phys\u00adi\u00adcal real\u00adism based entire\u00adly on the iden\u00adtity of the thinker and the premise of God\u2019s existence.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Descarte\u2019s chief impor\u00adtance to us now lies in his men\u00adtal atti\u00adtude, and his approach to solv\u00ading prob\u00adlems. He did not always come to con\u00adclu\u00adsions that I can accept, and some\u00adtimes did not live up to his own meth\u00adods, but the \u2026<\/p>\n

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