Describe Descartes' view of methodic doubt and his reasons for engaging in it. Do you see a value in this radical procedure of doubt? Why or why not?

Introduction

Descartes’ goal in Meditations I and II was to find a system of knowledge that would be absolutely certain. In order to do this, he had to engage in methodic doubt. Methodic doubt is a process where we ask ourselves questions about our beliefs and ideas, using logic as our guide in order to reach conclusions that are certain (or at least as certain as possible). Descartes performed this procedure by asking himself whether or not he could be sure that his own mind existed apart from God’s existence, which led him ultimately into concluding that there must be such an entity if anything existed at all! Learn more about these meditations here:

Descartes had the goal of finding a system of knowledge that was absolutely certain.

Descartes had the goal of finding a system of knowledge that was absolutely certain. He believed that if something was true, then it could be proven by logic. This is why he engaged in radical doubt and ultimately came to reject his own previous beliefs about God, mind-body dualism, etc., because they were based on faith rather than reason alone.

Descartes was a rationalist who believed in using reason as our only means for ensuring truth and certainty; however, this does not mean that Descartes did not believe in God or some other kind of spiritual reality—quite the opposite! For example: “I can prove nothing with regard to my being” (Rationalism). This statement shows us how important Descartes’ rationality was when it came down to making decisions about what defines reality (i.e., how do we know whether our beliefs are true?).

Descartes’ belief in final cause led him to conclude that if anything had been created, then it must have been created by a powerful being, which led him to conclude that there must be such a powerful being that exists.

In 1637, Descartes wrote the Letter to Mersenne in which he describes his methodic doubt. He states that he is conducting a methodic search for truth because he believes in final cause and wants to know if there is anything that exists. This led him to conclude that if anything had been created, then it must have been created by a powerful being. Therefore, he concluded that there must be such a powerful being that exists

Descartes’ point about dreams does not actually prove anything about the certainty of the beliefs he is considering.

Descartes’ point about dreams does not actually prove anything about the certainty of the beliefs he is considering. The fact that we may have had a dream that involved flying, but then woke up and found ourselves on the ground proves nothing about whether or not we can fly.

In his Meditations, Descartes describes a method of doubt which has become known as “methodic doubt” (or sometimes called “radical doubt”). This procedure involves questioning all one’s beliefs, whether they be based on sense perception or religious authority or otherwise—and then deciding which ones are worthy of acceptance onto which foundation they should be built.

Meditations II and III are considered refutations of skepticism.

In his second Meditation, Descartes considers whether he can be certain that he is dreaming. He concludes that even if all his senses are deceived, he will still be able to know with certainty whether or not there is any fact which is not present in his mind. This thought experiment seems to prove nothing about the certainty of our beliefs; it only demonstrates how we can be certain about something without actually understanding why we are so sure.

In addition to this problem with Descartes’ methodic doubt, there are problems with many of his other arguments in these meditations as well: for example, when discussing God’s existence and writing “I think therefore I am” (II), he makes no mention of what kind of evidence would convince him otherwise—he does not say anything about how an omniscient being could know if some specific thing exists or does not exist before making up its mind about said thing–and thus leaves us unable even to guess at such things!

Descartes performed methodic doubt because he wanted to find knowledge which he could be sure was true.

Descartes was a philosopher who lived in the 17th century. He was a skeptic, who doubted everything. His methodic doubt led him to conclude that if anything had been created, then it must have been created by a powerful being.

Conclusion

Descartes’ methodic doubt is an example of a philosophical strategy that can be used to explore certain beliefs and to draw conclusions about the nature of reality. Descartes believed that if one could not be absolutely certain in one’s beliefs, then it was better to be uncertain than not knowing anything at all. Because he knew how difficult it was to know anything truly reliable, he thought it would be better for him personally if there were some sort of higher being who created everything in order to keep us all safe from harm.