Descartes' Wax Argument - Literature review Example

A Piece of Wax I. Introduction What a person perceives is mainly due to their knowledge of their surroundings which can be either known or unknown. Without the understanding of the human mind, it is hard to know the body. Descartes, during his meditation on a piece of wax said “it is now manifest to me that bodies themselves are not properly perceived by the senses nor by the faculty of imagination, but by the intellect alone.” The bulk of the essay will explain judgment and imagination which are two faculties Descartes focuses on during his second meditation. How the mind observes things, why doubt is created, how perception and relativity changes with time, what expression looks like, how the mind, body and soul function as a unit, and how a limited perception affect cognition can be explained by Descartes through is argument of judgment and imagination. There are many principles which create certain thought which will lead us to conclude something that is usually consistent and powerful. We guide our lives by these thoughts and ideas. And much of this comes about because of our faculties, which allows us to sense things in different magnitudes. Our five senses can lead us to believe in things that may fail us. During Descartes’ second meditation, he decides that everything he sees is not really there. What our eyes perceive may be a result of what the world has labeled to be real. But what our minds observe, gives us greater insight into the world around us. II. Our Mind’s Observations The observation of the world around Descartes has caused him to take a step back and view his life in a different manner. He creates doubt within his own mind because without doubt, he holds that one is naïve in their thinking. Doubt allows for reflection and with reflection comes the knowledge of what needs to improve and how one may go about with the improvement. Without doubt, life in itself is blissful. The doubt that Descartes experiences is so powerful that he feels he can’t just forget what he is thinking. He has to act upon this new found doubt and get to the root of the problem. III. Doubt and Certainty For Descartes, the root of the problem is not doubt. Part of Descartes meditation lends closer towards finding out what is being doubted and he states that he will not rest until his longing to find what is certain is satisfied. He is so adamant to find a solution that he is willing to compromise. That compromise is him relinquishing all rights to finding what is certain and being ok with the fact that nothing may be certain in the end. Certainty is not guaranteed. In much of Descartes writings he makes arguments that cause one to think about their existence, the purpose of their existence and the end result. Observing a piece of wax lends towards his argument on the fact that the mind is more certainly known than the body due to perception. He says that all knowledge of external objects, including his body, could be false as a result of a demon. However, the idea that his mind exists cannot be a deception because his nature is not just made up of the body but also of a thinking thing. He says that even the corporal objects such as his own body is known more distinctly through the mind due to how the mind perceives what is in front of it. IV. Perception’s Relativity Perception is key to knowledge. Such is the idea of wax that Descartes was vehemently focusing on during his second meditation. As the wax melts, he believes that our minds begin to perceive its matter differently. Our mind realizes that the purpose of the wax has changed and can no longer be used in the way that the world has previously dictated. The properties create a new and yet meaningful definition that only our intellect can comprehend. Though the property of the wax may have changed, it now lends to a new purpose but keeps the same name. Our minds know and understand that regardless of the property the wax may be in during a particular state, it still is and will always be a piece of wax. Descartes claims that we know this through our faculty of judgment and not through our sense or our imagination. V. Faculty of Judgment and Imagination Imagination is extremely complex and Descartes believes that if Archemides could request something firm and absolute, then he too can have high expectations for finding the answer to his arguments. He therefore will not stop until he gets his answer regardless of what theory is proved in the end. (MII,P1) Maybe a higher power can give him answers to his questions. Calling on a higher power seems to be one of Descartes’ ways of confirming his beliefs and also doubts. He asks if there is not a God who orchestrates his mind to think the way it does. (MII,P2) Yet though those thoughts arise, he believes that it could just be he who is capable of thinking so intricately. Even those ponderings leads to less convoluted ideas of who he is and how his mind allows him to know his true identity. Though he attempts to discover his true identity, he also denies his very existence. (MII,P3) He believes he exists because he is constantly being persuaded that he does and this in itself is a form of deception. His own mind causes him to deceive his very essence, but he chooses not to allow that deception to keep him from believing that he truly exists. It is an act of will power and of desire that he will come to terms with the fact that he exists. He holds that he will be conscious that he exists. This means, he will know in his mind that he exists and not worry about having his existence depend on his physical being. It is not his physical being that dictates his status of existence. His existence is only true because he confirms he does exist via expression. VI. Expression Its not enough knowing that you exist but there is something more that is important to all humans. Descartes wants to know what he is. For him, existing is one thing, but knowing the matter of his existence is another. Once the matter of existence is known, life takes on new meaning. Cognition is the knowledge that he holds to be most evident. Without the mind space, the body is nothing. After all, it is the mind that dictates the actions of the body. The body can be a tricky tool. In retrospect, Descartes begins to search his past to help him understand his present. He says “what then did I think I was?” (MII,P5). He goes on to say that maybe he was an animal. His idea of an animal can be quite expansive so instead of delving into the details of what an animal consists of, he decides that he is human, and has all of the faculties of being a human. What he wonders about is his soul and how his soul could seem like something blowing in the wind, not being really part of the body but something that is also perceived. VII. Mind, Body and Soul He continues by experimenting with the soul. Maybe he is a soul and not a body at all. Maybe his mind is his soul, and therefore, detached from the body. The soul carries with it several attributes and the first attribute is the power of nutrition and walking. Without a body walking nor receiving nutrition is possible. Perception is an attribute but perception requires a body. He states that thinking is another attribute which belongs to the soul. If he thinks long enough, this is the length of his existence. “Mensive animus” is a thinking thing, which is a mind. Is he just a mind? He could be however, just something or someone who perceives or sentire. Sentire is nothing less than thinking. Perception and thought can be tied into one idea which creates an important faculty of the soul. Descartes reasons that without imagination, perception is limited. VIII. Limited Perception The imagination does not belong to the body nor the soul; only the mind. Descartes believes that if he imagines something; either during wake or sleep, he is essentially exiting his body and becoming something that is no longer part of his corporal self. Descartes realizes that it’s through the body that we use our five senses which are clearly known. The sense of touch, smell, hearing, sight, and taste are all properties which allow us to feel real. Humans create the senses and impress the properties of those senses on objects. He believes that when wax is put near the fire, it loses or changes its properties allowing the senses of humans to be altered. The alteration does not equal elimination of the essence of the wax, but a change has been made and now the human needs to adapt to the new “wax”. The change is not made through the senses but instead, through one’s cognition. IX. Cognition What Descartes knows to be true, and what he imagines through his senses creates an argument. This argument is the differences between the mind and the body. What he knows to be true is different than what is actually true. Truth, in its essence is relative. The idea of the wax keeping its essential state is a faculty of imagination. One cannot even begin to imagine what the wax is after it has been changed. One however, can create lucid thoughts of what they think the wax could be. This, in theory is difficult to comprehend due to its relativism. In light of the changing states, adaptation is needed to better comprehend the complexity of what is going on. Descartes states that in the end, it’s still wax. He holds that the faculty of judgment allows for humans to create and destroy their own existence and perceive truth in ways that is more complex, stimulating and mind boggling. Descartes’ ability to create an argument for himself, and question his very existence is in fact the crux of the changing properties of a piece of wax. X. Conclusion In conclusion, Descartes’ ability to be introspective allows for his arguments to be evaluated and valued. The argument he creates makes the path straight for those who are looking for answers regarding the faculties he mentions. The faculty of judgment along with imagination is really Descartes main focus. The idea that a piece of wax is just a piece of wax becomes obsolete if the faculties at hand are not considered. Judgment and imagination are Descartes’ faculties which lead him to believe that a piece of wax will always be a piece of wax, even in the eyes of its changing properties. WORK CITED Steiner, Rudolf. Rel. Authors. 11 8 2008. 2 2 2012 . Read More