Descartes Evil Demon Argument - 1981 Words

Essay Choice 1 In the First Meditation, Descartes gives us the Evil Demon Hypothesis which serves to give him reason to doubt the existence of everything he perceives and believes. He describes a ‘malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning’ that has the sole purpose of deceiving Descartes (Descartes, 2010: 17). I will argue that his hypothesis has proven to be a strong one because only the cogito provides a way for us to frustrate or trick the evil demon. The Evil Demon Hypothesis is an important component of the Method of Doubt. Descartes used the Method of Doubt to find what is true by withholding assent from all beliefs that are dubitable. However, if Descartes was to scrutinise everything he believed, he would be left with an†¦show more content†¦Essentially the same as the Evil Demon Hypothesis is the Deceiving God Argument. Once Descartes described it, he realised that he has doubt in all of his former beliefs and as a result withheld assent from all those former beliefs (Descartes, 17:2010). However he found his ‘habitual opinions kept coming back’ and so to stop this he counterbalanced all his previous beliefs by believing them entirely false. After a while he would be able to let go of his previous convictions and ‘perceive things correctly’ (Descartes, 17:2010). It could be argued that it isn’t possible to frustrate the demon because of its omnipotence, meaning it would have unlimited power and capabilities. Descartes does credit the demon with omnipotence when saying ‘some demon of the utmost power and cunning (Descartes, 17:2010). Other scholars such as Kennington don’t believe the demon is omnipotent because in the original text Descartes didn’t call the demon quo potest omnia or omnipotens, which God was. Furthermore, in the First Meditation, the Evil Demon is mentioned only thrice (Kennington, 1971: 442), making one wonder if it was really that was being referred to. However I believe this opinion is wrong or at least not completely true. God is certainly held as omnipotent by Descartes. He described the demon as ‘some God or any other name it may be called’ and is described alongShow MoreRelatedDescartes Evil Demon Argument1996 Words   |  8 Pages 1 In the First Meditation, Descartes gives us the Evil Demon Hypothesis which serves to give him reason to doubt the existence of everything he perceives and believes. He describes a ‘malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning’ that has the sole purpose of deceiving Descartes (Descartes, 2010: 17). I will argue that his hypothesis has proven to be a strong one because only the cogito provides a way for us to frustrate or trick the evil demon. The Evil Demon Hypothesis is an important componentRead MoreThe Strengths And Weaknesses Of Descartes Dreaming Argument And Evil Demon Argument1430 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will attempt to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Descartes’ dreaming argument and evil demon argument. Through discussion, I will show why the evil demon argument is more plausible than the dreaming argument. The essay will give a brief definition of the two arguments and explain why these arguments are important. Then I will discuss the two arguments, considering both sides and referencing previous work by other philosophers. I will conclude with a short summary of the topics coveredRead MoreDescartes’ Cogito Argument Successfully Shows the Evil Demon Argument is Unsound888 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Descartes’ Cogito argument successfully show that the Evil Demon Argument is unsound? 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I do not agree withRead MoreThe Dream Inside Of A Dream By Christopher Nolan1683 Words   |  7 PagesFinal Paper: Descartes The possibility of having a dream inside of a dream is an idea that has been discussed far and wide. However, before Inception came out in 2010 by director Christopher Nolan, many people in the modern world may not have ever considered this idea. Nonetheless, this idea of â€Å"a dream inside a dream† has been around since 1640, when Rene Descartes published Meditations. In Inception, Christopher Nolan uses Descartes ideas to enhance the storyline of his film. In this paperRead MoreThe Dreaming Argument And The Evil Demon Argument1271 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes organised his ideas on knowledge and skepticism to establish two main arguments, the dreaming argument and the evil demon argument. The dreaming argument suggests that it is not possible to distinguish between having a waking experience and dreaming an experience. Whereas, the evil demon argument suggests that we are deceived in all areas of our experiences by an evil demon. This essay will investigate the valid ity of the arguments and to what extent the conclusion of these arguments isRead MoreThe Mind Argument And The Evil Demon Argument1218 Words   |  5 PagesRenÃ'  Descartes is known to be the â€Å"founder of modern philosophy† aswell as a man who was superior in the scientific revolution. As a catholic and a man of science he wanted to show how the scientific world had space for God and freedom which hence led to the Mediditions published in 1641. In the first meditation Descartes introduces the idea that in order for him to establish anything in the sciences which is â€Å"stable and likely to last† he must build truths of which he can be certain. In order to