Rene Descartes' avowal, "I think therefore I am- elicits questions about the meaning of thought, the effect of existence and most fundamentally, in what sense he can be certain; what can Descartes leave un-doubted? ... Descartes' endeavor to attain certainty can be evaluated in relation to how well Descartes has overcome the universal doubt he has introduced in his first meditation. ... Prior to examining Descartes' assertion that he is thinking, the problem of what Descartes means by thinking should be answered. ... To go back to the subject of how Descartes can be certain th...

• Word Count: 1519
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The foundation of Descartes argument is based on the first person narrative style of his Meditations on First Philosophy. ... As soon as Descartes creates the basis of his argument he can make more inferences as he moves on to different meditations. ... According to Descartes, thought includes doubting, understanding, affirming, denying, willing, refusing, and also imagining and sensing. ... So by doubting, just as Plato did, Descartes destroyed the old way of thinking and created a new one....

• Word Count: 314
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

The mathematician and philosopher known as Rene Descartes inspired the new method of scientific reasoning known as deductive reasoning. Descartes believed that he could only trust his own thoughts and algebra and that what he observed in the universe was only deception. ... Descartes believed that his existence was based on his ability to think and comprehend, but he never obtained the origin of the thought process. For Descartes, a thinking thing is 'a thing which doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, which also imagines and feels.' ...

• Word Count: 733
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Can Descartes be certain that he is thinking? ... Williams describes this as Descartes" willingness to "sheer off " purely mental experience. ... Therefore an argument for the certainty of "I think" is that Descartes himself has made it true. ... However, Descartes himself expresses this interpretation as a profound misunderstanding of his point. ... According to Williams, Descartes does believe that there is a link between thinking and existing. ...

• Word Count: 1657
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Understanding the relationship between critical thinking and perception is essential for their effective use. The relationship between critical thinking and perception is not a clear line. To achieve this understanding, critical thinking and perception must first be defined before a complete under...

• Word Count: 899
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

When 17th century French philosopher René Descartes coined the phrase 'I think therefore I am', he managed to neatly sum up the fact that the ability to reason has always been crucial l to us. ...

• Word Count: 970
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography