René Descartes’ “Meditations on First Philosophy”
What is our reality and how do our perceptions of that reality align with its “true” nature? Through his Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes aims to analyze and further understand the “true” properties and characteristics of the world we live in. Utilizing rationalist thought, Descartes asserts the unreliability of our physical senses such as sight, sound, and touch, while explaining that all that makes humans significant lies in their innate ability to think, question, and analyze. Descartes desires to discover what is false in his perceptions of the world, and decides to reject all former opinion which has “some grounds for doubt” (Furman 194). He brings forth the idea that perhaps our entire reality in itself is an illusion, questioning whether or not everything experienced is, in the end, all just a dream. Under this doubt towards the reliability of our senses in regards to our reality, Descartes also establishes two possible versions of our reality: one without the influence of god, and another which god establishes.
Descartes personally asserts his belief that god does in fact exist, however he also views god though a different lens than some religions. Believing that god creates all the laws of the universe, in which science can expand in order to understand, god becomes more of a “force” than a “personal god” regardless of the assumed “benevolence” trait that Descartes attaches to his version of god. Descartes expresses how human rationalism is given to people through the force of god, and this rational capability is what powers humanity. The senses are unreliable, so humans must turn to their innate ability for cognition to perceive and explain the world. And although not specifically stated within the Meditations, Descartes still expresses his views following in “cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am). The human rationale fuels our ability to comprehend the world, and that thought also establishes our existences as well.
Descartes ideas are undoubtedly difficult to follow, yet compelling none the less. Descartes addresses numerous angles towards the topic of existence and perception and I found it difficult to completely tie together the ideas cohesively while still maintaining clarity. Our discussing covered most of the ideas that Descartes wrote about and I explained above, Interesting question arose about Descartes beliefs and how they tie to our world now. What is the god Descartes refers to? Is there anything to be accomplished by distrusting all our senses? If our reality is only a dream, is it really relevant to ourselves? And how can a newer understanding of reality alter our lives? While all these questions were not fully answered and remained ambiguous in solution, they generated productive thought, and engaging analysis.
I personally really like Descartes ideas. While I do believe that our perceptions succeed in perceiving the world correctly, I also believe that we must establish a point of reference for what we refer to as our reality and what it is relative to in regards to dimensions and our universe. I know my world exists, because I can perceive it, and although my perceptions may be unreliable, there is undoubtedly some form of existence, as one cannot perceive nothing. I also greatly align my views with Descartes views on god. I do not believe in a religious god of sorts, but the idea that some form of higher existence or force, far beyond our comprehension and completely irrelevant to our lives, may have established the laws of the universe or existence in general does not escape possibility in my mind. Existence does not necessarily mean “life” in our connotation of the world, yet laws exist on a plane of our universe, so can we not say that laws reign over our reality as god would?
For many, Descartes ideas resonate with us through popular media and movies such as Inception and The Matrix. I, however, draw connections between Descartes ideas and a show called Ghost in the Shell. The context of the show lies within the development of human brain transfer into robotic bodies, where the gap between humans and machine slowly closes. The “ghost” refers to the human consciousness that lies within the robotic “shell”. The show addresses the questions how reality is perceived through the eyes and processing of a machine, and stresses the value of thought, consciousness and individuality. As viruses and brain hacking runs rampant, reality becomes distorted by the vulnerability of the mechanic shells that humans live as. And in the end, one’s own awareness of oneself is the only indicator that one exists.
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