Empiricism and Rationalism – Cartesian Method Research Paper

This paper presents an explanation of the Cartesian Method whereby it will identify some of the potential problems with, and appeal of, this approach. The Cartesian method is a skeptical approach associated with the works of the modern era philosopher; Rene Descartes. Most of his works relate to acquisition of reliable foundations upon which human knowledge can be progressed through embracing natural sciences. The Cartesian method according to Mitchell (2007)is also known as hyperbolic doubt, methodical skepticism, universal doubt, methodical skepticism, or Cartesian skepticism. The Cartesian method is an approach that requires a person to be systematically skeptical regarding the truth of his/her beliefs. Descartes’ main concern in regards to this method was to find the right way to conceptualize, or pose an issue, or a problem.

Cartesian method is an approach that advocates for the scrutiny of all claims of knowledge with the objective of separating the false claims from the true claims. According to Mitchell (2007), Descartes characterized his method of doubt into four parts: (1) only accepting the information is unquestionable; (2) breaking down each question into parts or units that are manageable; (3) starting to solve problems from the simplest ones and progressing to the most complex ones; and (4) preparing a comprehensive list of issues that need further attention. The potential problem of this approach is that it advocates for having doubts about all things whose justification does not have a logical basis. The Cartesian method, also, maintains a position that fails the falsifiability criterion that relates to empirical theory (Mitchell, 2007). On the other hand, the appeal of the method is its advocacy that people should claim knowledge of things that they can have justification for. Therefore, it is a fundamental approach to defeat and overcome skepticism. A simple illustration of the Cartesian method is; for instance, a person having left a glass full of fruit juice on the table and left the house shortly believing that he would drink it when he returns. The truth, perhaps, could be that another person may have entered the house, seen the fruit juice and emptied the glass while the owner was still away. The owner will continue believing that the glass is still full until he returns and finds it empty.

In conclusion, the Cartesian method is an approach that requires a person to be systematically skeptical regarding the truth of his/her beliefs. It advocates for the scrutiny of all claims of knowledge with the objective of separating the false claims from the true claims. The potential problem of this approach is that it advocates for having doubts about all things whose justification does not have a logical basis.

 

Scroll to Top