Due Apr 6
Cogito, Ergo Sum
Reading: Descartes, selections from the Discourse on Method (Blackboard).
Writing: Respond to ONE of the following prompts. Keep your response short, posting as a reply under the appropriate heading in the comments section:
- Comment on the way that Descartes presents himself to the reader, quoting a relevant passage. On what ground does he recommend his experience as worthy of our interest?
- In Part 2, Descartes introduces an architectural metaphor—one to which he recurs in Part 3. Quote a relevant line and then riff a bit on what this metaphor suggests as to the dimensions and implications of his intellectual project.
- In Part 4, we encounter the famous line “I think, therefore I am.” Except our translator has rendered it as “I am thinking, therefore I exist.” What does Maclean’s translation get right about the meaning of the Latin phrase, “cogito, ergo sum”? Alternatively, what does it miss that the traditional phrasing gets right?
- Having proven his own existence, Descartes goes on to argue the certainty of God’s existence. Quote a relevant line from this section and comment on the logic of his argument.
Descartes’ Manner of Self-Presentation
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Descartes presents himself as a very intelligent man who has a unique way of thinking. He claims, “that since my early youth I have had the great good fortune of finding myself taking certain paths that have led me to reflections and maxims from which I have fashioned a method by which, it seems to me, I have a way of adding progressively to my knowledge and raising it by degrees to the highest point…” (5-6). This statement accomplishes a few things in orienting himself to us. For one, it shows his passion for learning and assessing knowledge, which displays his intelligence and unique perspective on life. He wants to learn to the highest degree that he possibly can, which is admirable. This statement also shows Descartes’s humility and groundedness. Even though he could be considered “smarter” than others due to his knowledge, he doesn’t portray himself in that way, and instead explains his thinking process as it is. Both of these things build on his credibility and make you want to listen to what he has to say.
I agree and think that Descartes presents himself as thoughtful and careful. He emphasizes caution about his own ideas, such as when he admits, “It is possible that I am wrong, and that I am mistaking bits of copper and glass for gold and diamonds.” This line shows that he doesn’t claim absolute certainty in everything he thinks; instead, he openly acknowledges the possibility of error. This also strengthens his credibility because it makes him seem more trustworthy and self-aware rather than arrogant. By recognizing his own limits, Descartes suggests his method is valuable because he is committed to questioning and testing his ideas, even if the results aren’t perfect.
I agree, Descartes also presents himself in a very humble and cautious instead of claiming authority. He mentions that he is only portraying his personal experience and doesn’t force or expect no one to follow him and his method. He writes that he does “not propose this work as a teaching method which everyone ought to follow, but only to show how i have tried to conduct my own reason”(Descartes, Discourse on Method), through this, he makes his story seem truthful and realistic which makes it relatable, he even recommends his experience as worth reading since it really indicate how someone can utilise reason and careful considerations and doubt to find out the truth instead of just blindly accept what you are taught
Descartes’ Housebuilding Metaphor
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Descartes mentions in Part 3 “Finally, just as it is not enough, before beginning to rebuild the house in which one lives, to do no more than demolish it, make provision for materials and architects, or become oneself trained as an architect, or even to have carefully drawn up the plans, but one must also provide oneself with another house in which one may be comfortably lodged while work is in progress.” This metaphor suggests that Descartes system of knowledge has to be reconstructed, but can not begin if he were to forget or erase all his knowledge, because then he would not be able to create his new system, just like people need a house or a place to stay in while their new house is being built. This urges us to believe that Descartes intellectual project is more complex than it seems and requires a great deal of knowledge and restructuring.
I agree with your point that Descartes needs a kind of “temporary house” so he can still function while rebuilding his beliefs. As he puts it, “one must also provide oneself with another house in which one may be comfortably lodged while work is in progress,” which shows his project is careful and practical, not reckless. But I’d add that this metaphor also points to something more radical, he doesn’t just want to rebuild, he wants to rebuild on his own terms, becoming the sole “architect” of his knowledge rather than relying on ideas passed down by others.
Translating Cogito, Ergo Sum
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The strength of our translators version is that it captures that thinking, and therefore existing happens in the context of each individual moment. However, the traditional phrasing’s usage of “I am” is stronger as it is closer to being I exist as sentiment being rather than simply just I exist. The quote stems from Descartes’s struggle to know if his reality is real unitl he “noted that, while I was trying to think of all things being false in this way, it was necessarily the case that I, who was thinking them, had to be something” (28). By questioning he confirms the existence of not only himself but everything and everyone around him regardless of wether or not they question their own existence. The translators version does not touch things that cannot think for themselves. Do those things not exist? Therefore I think it would be fair to say that Descartes is trying to say I think, therefore everything is and the traditional translation is much closer to that than our version.
Arguing the Existence of God
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A line that I think supported Descartes’ argument of God’s existence is, “so that there remained only the possibility that it had been put into me by a nature which was truly more perfect than mine, and one which even had in itself all the perfections of which I could have any idea, that is to say, in a word, which was God” (Page 30). Descartes proves his own existence through the act of doubting, because he argues that doubting is more imperfect than knowing, making himself imperfect. After concluding that humans are limited beings, he then questions how we have the ability to imagine a perfect, infinite being, such as a God. He then takes these two ideas and concludes that God exists because only a god could place this idea of a perfect being into the heads of imperfect beings.