Rene Descartes' thought experiment?

Question

In the First Meditation, Descartes says "Some years ago I was struck by the large number of falsehoods that I had accepted as true in my childhood, and by the highly doubtful nature of the whole ediface that I had subsequently based on them. I realized that it was necassary, once in the course of my life, to demolish everything completely and start again right from the foundation...."

What is he trying to discover by systematically doubting all his options? What is it that he thinks cannot be doubted?

Answer 1

He is trying to get past everything that is obtained by the senses since the senses can be deceived. Ideally what you are left with is pure, a priori knowledge. A fundamental truth that can not be distorted by our brain's achilles heel of seeing what it wants to.
What he ended up with was the fact that he, no matter how hard he tried, could not logically doubt himself. This was the starting point of his then logical argument that would later prove the existence of God.He summarised it with Cogito ergo sum. I think; therefore I am. That is the starting point.

Answer 2

It is completely unacceptable for anybody to take performance enhancing drugs in a sport. Imagine Roger Federer taking drugs to win his 17 grand slam titles, imagine Usain Bolt taking drugs to win the sprints. Not only did Lance Armstrong lie to the world but he lied to his family and himself. He has dishonored the sport of cycling and in my opinion does not deserve any sympathy. For sure, he battled cancer and he fought long and hard but you would think that would make him a better person, but no, he didn't just cheat for one tour de France win, he cheated for 7 and he also wasted law money, people's time and careers on trying to prove that he did not take drugs. There are so many other cyclists that could have deserved to be wearing that yellow jersey those 7 years that Lance Armstrong used Dope to get his way to the top. It's a shame that such years are wasted of the good sport of cycling and Lance Armstrong deserves alot more than what he's getting. He's a liar and a cheat and on the aired interview he didn't even show significant signs of remorse, sorrow or even being apologetic. He was just a face for the camera, as if he wanted to get it over and done with. Take a look at other famous sports apologies and they are so much more heart felt and sorry, (for example: Tiger Woods). Lance Armstrong, a bully, a cheat, a liar. No Sympathy deserved.

Answer 3

Given that things that seem obviously true turned out to be false (for example, the senses are not reliable. A modern example would be: how can you prove we are not all plugged into The Matrix?), Descartes sought to find an undeniable base truth from which he might derive all other truth. Eventually, he came to "I think, therefore I am." For even if an all-powerful demon is tricking him into thinking that he is thinking, he is still thinking.

But perhaps he should have said, "Thoughts are thought, and therefore a thinker thinks," so as not to assume too much about "I."

Answer 4

The concept can be equated to "introjection".

Introjects are those things which we accept as true without ever considering the veracity of the claim being made.

"never talk to strangers" would be an example. We are taught this, we never question if this is true, or when it might be true and when it might be false. We mindlessly accept it as true.

I have helped a number of people. I was a stranger to them. This is a direct contradiction to what was taught. As a stranger, I should be feared.

Or, one can examine what one has been "spoonfed".

Answer 5

**** I had it all turned around. Now lets start this time with the map right side up.

Answer 6

He tends to belive things as his own senses pereceive them as being true.