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Eric Xiao
Mr. Cahatol
HZT4U13
1 December 2023
Certainty of Doubt: The Individual’s Responsibility in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Written in the midst of the Scientific Revolution that brought significant developments,
where the foundation of the preexisting scholasticism was shaken by the numerous discoveries,
René Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy accurately depicts the atmosphere of
skepticism regarding the traditional notion of knowledge. In aim to create an irrefutable basis to
derive all understanding from, Descartes demolished all that can be doubted to find what cannot
be false, the fact that he is doubting. Descartes’ method of doubt is a crucial step in the field of
epistemology; by proving the certainty of the consciousness, bridging the Socratic method to
modernity, and standing steadfast against criticism, he addresses the true purpose of
philosophy—the pursuit of knowledge.
To build a sturdy foundation for this pursuit, Descartes first acknowledges the problem of
that he faced: “Whatever I have up till now accepted as most true I have acquired either from the
senses or through the senses. But from time to time I have found that the senses deceive, and it is
prudent never to trust completely those who have deceived us even once” (Descartes 201). Since
understanding of the world was based on sensory perceptions, where one cannot be certain of its
soundness, it cannot be the optimal method to derive knowledge as it is known to be deceptive.
To reach an irrefutable premise, he recognizes the importance to “demolish everything
completely and start again right from the foundation” (201), and this is done through the method
of doubt. Through this process, a crucial first step was reached—the distinction of the mind
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versus the senses. By building the self-certifying statement that makes the process of doubting—
a kind of thinking—indisputable, he reaches the conclusion that attests to his existence. To prove
one’s existence is a personal, empirical, and rather lonely journey, but Descartes’ meditation is
exemplary of what philosophy should mean to the individual, discovering certain knowledge
through exploring the limits of reasoning.
As the title implies, his meditation reflects on the first philosophies, where we can see a
continuation of the Socratic method through his intentions. By playing the devil’s advocate, the
challenging questions that he provokes forces us confront the uncomfortable reality of our
limited understanding, which many have long avoided. By refining what was used since the
classical antiquity, this new method defies the dominance of religious and monarchy dominance,
setting thousand years of stasis into movement. A significant revision to the Elenchus was made
however, as rather than eliciting truth by refuting others, Descartes’ method is much more
individualistic, searching for the truth from introspective reflection. His meditation was
completely through him sitting at the fireside, holding the papers in his hands (201), a private
investigation that can only be meaningful to himself. This reiterates that philosophy is an
individual affair that one must actively take part in. Bertrand Russel quotes his systemic doubt
and the famous Cogito to be “[of] great service to philosophy, and one which makes him still
useful to all students of the subject.” (Russell 196), which acted as important insight for Russell
to reach his conclusion regarding the existence of matter, and his criticism regarding the real
pursuit of knowledge. A pursuit that many of Descartes’ objections ignore.
Naturally, much like any other philosophical discovery, objections towards Descartes’
method arises. It is simple to claim that by doubting everything, the validity of the argument
itself deserves to be doubted. However, Descartes’ intention, aligning with the values of
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philosophy, is using the method as a tool to reach an answer, rather than the ending itself.
Descartes himself acknowledges that there are certain simple truths that will be futile to doubt,
and that as his objective concerns knowledge, he will not be wronged to find a balance between
his “former and current opinions” (Descartes 203). And to the claims that the method promotes
excessive skepticism, promoting solipsism and even nihilism, these arguments are solely based
on the exaggeration of his ideas, guilty of quoting out of context. Descartes recognizes the
potential danger, and addresses it by posing the that “… I have convinced myself that there is
absolutely nothing in the world… Does it now follow that I too do not exist?”, but immediately
answers this question with his proposition of existence, which is a necessity for whatever it is
that is “conceived” in his mind (204). Interestingly, there being any objections at all strengthens
exactly the method’s value, promoting the importance of doubt to achieve any certainty in the
pursuit of knowledge.
Descartes’ method of doubt is truly a product of its era, bridging the gap of antiquity
thinkers and the scientific world. By providing distinction between the sense and the mind,
adapting pre-existing methods for modern application, and confirming its true purpose as a tool
to provide some certainty, the controlled skepticism rebuilds a solid foundation to derive
knowledge, greatly influencing many philosophers till this day. Descartes demonstrates the
power of questioning, while recognizing the dangers of haphazard and indiscriminate doubting
that contradicts the purpose of philosophy. Afterall, just like how he was only to prove his own
existence, it is in our responsibility to actively take part in the pursuit of knowledge, to discover
our unique purposes of life.
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Works Cited
Descartes, Rene. “Meditations on First Philosophy.” Reason and Responsibility: Readings in
Some Basic Problems of Philosophy, edited by Joel Feinberg and Russ Shafer-Landau,
Wadsworth, 2013.
Russell, Bertrand. “Appearance and Reality and the Existence of Matter.” Reason and
Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of Philosophy, edited by Joel Feinberg
and Russ Shafer-Landau, Wadsworth, 2013.