Unit 7 discussion Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 7 discussion - Coursework Example In this epistemological search for knowledge, Descarte starts with doubt, saying that he wants to discover if there is anything that is beyond doubt or indubitable. Using the subtle reasoning of metaphysics while investigating the nature of reality he doubts all things related to the senses and even mathematical facts. This leads to his derivation that if he doubts, that means that he is thinking, and if he is thinking, it follows logically that he must be or â€Å"must exist†, that is cogito ergo sum in Latin. According to Gillespie (2006) the sequence of thoughts from which Descartes derives his first principle is in the form of a dialogue Descartes analyses that since thinking or cogito is clear and distinct, it follows that the concept has to be true. Hence, he states that his conceptualization of God as a perfect being can only arise from the fact that God is a perfect being, which in turn proves that God exists. This consequently leads to the conclusion that the world must exist, since God is not a deceiver, thus coming full circle from the philosopher’s initial doubt regarding the existence of the world and all things in it (Kenny 1968). The conclusion drawn by Descartes that the world must exist as a fact, a reality, is based on the establishing the existence of God. However, this is seen by SEP (2006) as a medieval reliance on a traditional distinction between the essence and existence of a thing. It is argued that the conceptualisation of God as a perfect being only proves the essence of God, and not His existence. Thus, the essence of something can be determined separately from knowledge of its existence. On the same lines, this does not lead to proving the existence of the world. The first meditation stating doubt regarding the existence of everything is beneficial in that it helps the reader to get rid of