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In the Discourse on Method, Rene Descartes proposed a new idea of reasoning that changed the course of many Philosophers today. His book is outlined in 6 different parts: sciences, rules of the method, morals derived from method, God and the soul, physics and medicine, and research. First, Descartes establishes what makes men different from animals. He argues that common sense and reason is what makes us distinct from others. Common sense being the ability to make good judgments and distinguish true from false, and reason is complete in all people (Discourse, p.6). Although reason exist in all humans, people vary in beliefs because one think differently than the other. This is why Descartes suggests that a correct method of thinking is necessary.
Reason and Common sense is particularly important in Descartes’ Discourse. In part four, Descartes considered his first meditations to be metaphysical and may be unusual to many. However, he considers this first principle of a new philosophy to be “more certain than the commonly accepted one” (p. 18). He first, rejected anything uncertain or can be doubted to be false. Descartes thought this to be better because our senses can be deceitful. Also, he brings about our thoughts in dreams are not true since none of our thoughts in reality is more true than the when we are dreaming. there may be a slim line between determining what is reality to what is thought with regards to the truth since “they are often no less vivid and explicit” (p.21). He then realized something has to be necessarily true--his existence. Descartes argues that he must exist since he is capable of doubting, thinking, dreaming, and rejecting. Furthermore, before anything is doubted, one who doubts must exist first. Thus, his famous words, “I think, therefore I am”, or “cogito, ergo sum” in Latin (p. 18). Although his proposition alone assures any truth, the fact that his existence must be necessarily true in order to exist. He then added that he “judged that [he] could take as a general rule that the things we conceived very clearly and very distinctly are all true” (p.19). However, Descartes did not clarify, in the beginning, what is the criteria to think of something to be “very clear, and very distinct”.
Reason and Common sense is particularly important in Descartes’ Discourse. In part four, Descartes considered his first meditations to be metaphysical and may be unusual to many. However, he considers this first principle of a new philosophy to be “more certain than the commonly accepted one” (p. 18). He first, rejected anything uncertain or can be doubted to be false. Descartes thought this to be better because our senses can be deceitful. Also, he brings about our thoughts in dreams are not true since none of our thoughts in reality is more true than the when we are dreaming. there may be a slim line between determining what is reality to what is thought with regards to the truth since “they are often no less vivid and explicit” (p.21). He then realized something has to be necessarily true--his existence. Descartes argues that he must exist since he is capable of doubting, thinking, dreaming, and rejecting. Furthermore, before anything is doubted, one who doubts must exist first. Thus, his famous words, “I think, therefore I am”, or “cogito, ergo sum” in Latin (p. 18). Although his proposition alone assures any truth, the fact that his existence must be necessarily true in order to exist. He then added that he “judged that [he] could take as a general rule that the things we conceived very clearly and very distinctly are all true” (p.19). However, Descartes did not clarify, in the beginning, what is the criteria to think of something to be “very clear, and very distinct”.
