Geoffrey Coonfield
gmc5175@psu.edu
PHIL 001-005: Basic Problems in Philosophy
Instructor: David Espinet
PSU Fall Semester 2011, 1st Essay
Philosophy and Everything
What is philosophy good for? Why is this question important? Why would anyone care?
These questions will be answered by the end of this essay, using examples from the distinguished
philosophers Plato and Descartes. The works of these philosophers are linked by their underlying
belief in the importance of philosophy to human perception, thought, and existence. To explicate
this, I will be analyzing their thoughts on philosophy and perhaps why they thought philosophy
was important. The works to be analyzed will include Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and
Descartes’ First and Second Meditations.
First, Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” demonstrates how perception and philosophy help
better our understanding of the world around us. In the “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato offers
hypothetical questions about two men chained to a wall in a cave, unable to do anything but look
straight and see silhouettes of objects shadows from a light source above, and this would directly
affect their perception of their known world. He then proceeds to hypothesize about one of the
men’s perceptions of the situation, during his captivity, as well as if he were dragged out into the
open world. The following quote on page 123 is an example of Plato’s hypothesis on philosophy
and perception (explained below):
“Then in every way such prisoners would deem reality to be nothing else than the
shadows of the artificial objects.”1
The above passage shows the importance of perception in philosophy and how perception
colors our understanding of reality. Perception, in essence, is how the human mind processes,
deciphers and makes decisions based off of what we see, hear, touch, smell, taste, experience or
even learn from others. Perception is the key principle in all decision-making, learning and so
much more. It’s how people view everything, including others. The list is nearly endless of the
1
Plato. The Republic: Allegory of the Cave. .Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University Press. 1980. Print. (pg.
123)
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applications of perception, and it is the founding principle of philosophy. In essence, philosophy
is a certain way one views the world and everything in it.
Second, Descartes’ First Meditation demonstrates the use of skepticism in the search for
truth in perception. In the First Meditation, Descartes opens with a statement on how that he has
to now discard everything he believed or perceived to be true and only accept the truth through
investigation combined with personal experience. Below is one example of Descartes’
explanations of skepticism and the search for truth, on page 145.
“All that up to the present time I have accepted as most true and certain I have
learned either from the senses or through the senses; but it is sometimes proved to
me that these senses are deceptive, and it is wiser not to trust entirely to any thing
by which we have once been deceived.”2
The above passage shows how skepticism relates to perception and philosophy. It also
defines how skepticism can lead to the discoveries of greater truths. Perception can only lead so
far, and at some point one has to verify what our mind has perceived to be true, in order to
progress as a human being. Because if we just accept what we perceive as true, without any sort
of verification, then we cannot learn and grow emotionally, psychologically, and/or
technologically, etc. Another quote, found below, will form an example of what would expose a
perception but invalidate it, exposing it as a lie.
“I have in sleep been deceived by similar illusions, and in dwelling carefully on
this reflection, I see so manifestly that there are no certain indications by which
we may clearly distinguish wakefulness from sleep that I am lost in
astonishment.”3
This above passage provides a prime example of how our own perception can deceive us,
dreams. I have personally had countless dreams in my own lifespan in which I could not discern
the dream from my own reality. In a dream we may not be able to investigate the truth to discern
illusions from the truth, but in the waking world, we can ask questions and investigate our
perceptions.
Descartes, René. The Philosophical Works of Descartes – Meditation I: Concerning Those Things That Can be Called Into Doubt. New York.
Cambridge University Press. 1981. Printed. (pg. 145)
3
Descartes, René. The Philosophical Works of Descartes – Meditation I: Concerning Those Things That Can be Called Into Doubt. New York.
Cambridge University Press. 1981. Printed. (pg. 146)
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Third, Descartes’ Second Meditation covers a couple of topics. The first, which will be
illustrated below, regards to picking a single idea, finding the core truth of it and sticking with it.
To elaborate:
“I shall proceed by setting aside all that in which the least doubt could be
supposed to exist, just as if I had discovered it was absolutely false; and I shall
ever follow in this road until I have met with something which is certain, or at
least if I can do nothing else, until I have learned for certain that there is nothing
in the world that is certain.”4
The above quote elaborates that even though one should always try and seek the truth,
that as long as there is a core of truth on a particular belief or idea, not to lose hope. In the end,
truth without a bit of hope cannot exist, because hope is a driving factor of skepticism and
humanities’ divine quest for knowledge. In his Second Meditation, Descartes chooses as his core
idea the concept of existence. As stated in the next quote, he chooses to accept that because he
CAN think of all these things, then surely he exists and is not a dream or illusion.
“Then without doubt I exist also if he deceives me, and let him deceive me as
much as he will, he can never cause me to be nothing so long as I think that I am
something. So that after having reflected well and carefully examined all things,
we must come to the definite conclusion that this proposition: I am, I exist, is
necessarily true each time that I pronounce it, or that I mentally conceive it.”5
This quote, which is particularly famous, explains that the human mind, and our ability to
elaborately process data and imagination, is evidence that we do indeed exist. These aren’t the
ranting’s of a madman, but a detailed explanation on exactly how our mind works. In his
example of wax, he determines that wax isn’t what it is due to any of its physical features, but by
intellect alone. And that because of this intellect, we can perform certain tasks with wax to more
clearly and distinctly define our knowledge of it. This logic can be directly applied to anything
we wish to understand.
In conclusion, a rough analysis of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and Descartes’
Meditations gives just a few examples of what philosophy is good for. It explains the
4
Descartes, René. The Philosophical Works of Descartes – Meditation II: Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind: That It is Better Known
Than the Body. New York. Cambridge University Press. 1981. Printed. (pg. 149)
5
Descartes, René. The Philosophical Works of Descartes – Meditation II: Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind: That It is Better Known
Than the Body. New York. Cambridge University Press. 1981. Printed. (pg. 150)
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significance of perception, skepticism, judgment, the quest for truth and knowledge, and to know
ourselves. Some might say “philosophy” just a word, but without words, how else are we to
expect to gain more knowledge of the world around us? With philosophy so intricately webbed
into nearly everything involving our thoughts, it plays a vital role in what we perceive, what we
learn and even how we act.
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