Descartes Evil Demon Argument - 1996 Words

Essay Choice 1 In the First Meditation, Descartes gives us the Evil Demon Hypothesis which serves to give him reason to doubt the existence of everything he perceives and believes. He describes a ‘malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning’ that has the sole purpose of deceiving Descartes (Descartes, 2010: 17). I will argue that his hypothesis has proven to be a strong one because only the cogito provides a way for us to frustrate or trick the evil demon. The Evil Demon Hypothesis is an important component of the Method of Doubt. Descartes used the Method of Doubt to find what is true by withholding assent from all beliefs that are dubitable. However, if Descartes was to scrutinise everything he believed, he would be left with an†¦show more content†¦The Method of Doubt is destructive, not constructive, and aims to destroy and rebuild our knowledge on firm foundations. Once Descartes used the Evil Demon Hypothesis, he was able to remove all prior beliefs which left him with a starting point from where he could rebuild all true knowledge. The hypothesis doesn’t try to prove the existence of the Evil Demon, but rather to prove scepticism of our senses and even our understanding of the simplest concepts like maths and science is correctly placed (SparkNotes Editors, n.d.). Some critics described the hypothesis as a counterweight our ‘habitual beliefs’ (Cottingham, 1976:261). The argument is such a hyperbolic assumption that it puts even our strongest beliefs into doubt. Professor Harry Frankfurt gave an alternative view on the function of the demon. According to him, one role of the demon is to raise the possibility that we make errors in mathematical judgement. More significantly he believed the Evil Demon Hypothesis tried to falsify mathematical knowledge by ‘casting doubt on the objects of mathematics’ (Cottingham, 1976:263). However I believe that the demon’s importance on mathematics is more of a side track from the First Meditations main idea and the main role of the demon is to raise doubts about the external world. By the end of the First Meditation, Descartes had reached a point of total deception. He cannot be sure of what he experiencesShow MoreRelatedDescartes Evil Demon Argument1981 Words   |  8 PagesChoice 1 In the First Meditation, Descartes gives us the Evil Demon Hypothesis which serves to give him reason to doubt the existence of everything he perceives and believes. He describes a ‘malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning’ that has the sole purpose of deceiving Descartes (Descartes, 2010: 17). I will argue that his hypothesis has proven to be a strong one because only the cogito provides a way for us to frustrate or trick the evil demon. The Evil Demon Hypothesis is an important componentRead MoreThe Strengths And Weaknesses Of Descartes Dreaming Argument And Evil Demon Argument1430 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will attempt to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Descartes’ dreaming argument and evil demon argument. Through discussion, I will show why the evil demon argument is more plausible than the dreaming argument. The essay will give a brief definition of the two arguments and explain why these arguments are important. Then I will discuss the two arguments, considering both sides and referencing previous work by other philosophers. I will conclude with a short summary of the topics coveredRead MoreDescartes’ Cogito Argument Successfully Shows the Evil Demon Argument is Unsound888 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Descartes’ Cogito argument successfully show that the Evil Demon Argument is unsound? 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I do not agree withRead MoreThe Dream Inside Of A Dream By Christopher Nolan1683 Words   |  7 PagesFinal Paper: Descartes The possibility of having a dream inside of a dream is an idea that has been discussed far and wide. However, before Inception came out in 2010 by director Christopher Nolan, many people in the modern world may not have ever considered this idea. Nonetheless, this idea of â€Å"a dream inside a dream† has been around since 1640, when Rene Descartes published Meditations. In Inception, Christopher Nolan uses Descartes ideas to enhance the storyline of his film. In this paperRead MoreThe Dreaming Argument And The Evil Demon Argument1271 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes organised his ideas on knowledge and skepticism to establish two main arguments, the dreaming argument and the evil demon argument. The dreaming argument suggests that it is not possible to distinguish between having a waking experience and dreaming an experience. Whereas, the evil demon argument suggests that we are deceived in all areas of our experiences by an evil demon. This essay will investigate the valid ity of the arguments and to what extent the conclusion of these arguments isRead MoreThe Mind Argument And The Evil Demon Argument1218 Words   |  5 PagesRenÃ'  Descartes is known to be the â€Å"founder of modern philosophy† aswell as a man who was superior in the scientific revolution. As a catholic and a man of science he wanted to show how the scientific world had space for God and freedom which hence led to the Mediditions published in 1641. In the first meditation Descartes introduces the idea that in order for him to establish anything in the sciences which is â€Å"stable and likely to last† he must build truths of which he can be certain. In order to