The Problem of Knowledge

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The problem of knowledge is a key one in philosophy, asking as it does whether there is anything we can really know and whether what we know can be said to be objectively true. Theories of knowledge come under the heading of epistemology. We perceive the world through our sense, but our senses can be deceived. The degree of deception involved also varies according to different views of the world. Some see this deception as absolute and deny that there can be any knowledge at all through the senses. Others admit knowledge acquired through the senses while recognizing that there are limitations. René Descartes was a rationalist, and his thinking was governed by his knowledge of and dedication to mathematics, which he believed could clear up the confusions and uncertainties of philosophy. In this regard, Descartes wished to attain certainty with reference to the external, physical objects in the world around us. Mathematics, he believed, could help philosophy achieve absolute certainty so that philosophy could then reach final and certain truth. He began with the now well-known proposition, "I think, therefore I am," and from this he built a philosophical structure striving for the aforementioned mathematical certainty. However, by the end of the Sixth Medication, Descartes concludes that our knowledge of external objects will always remain imperfect. This does not mean that the Meditations have failed, only that the conclusions to which they have come show the limitat

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the effects actually observed. Experience or experiment can then tell whether these are consistent (Copleston 80-81). Descartes also makes a distinction between the primary and more general effects and the more particular effects which can be deduced from principles or first causes. The primary effects can be deduced without great difficulty, but there is an infinity of particular effects which can be deducted from the same first principles, raising the issue of how we are to distinguish between the effects which actually take place and those which might take place but do not. Descartes here says that this can be accomplished by empirical observation and experimentation. Yet, though Descartes agrees that experimentation can reveal much about scientific knowledge of the world, the ideal for him remains the deductive method. He recognizes that we cannot do without the information provided by experience, and indeed such knowledge is necessary as a way of gathering the data needed for the deductive method (Copleston 81-83). In the Meditations, Descartes presents his own journey from prephilosphical common sense to metaphysical enlightenment, and each step on this journey is taken in response to an encounter with skepticism.
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Approximate Word count = 1591
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

The Problem of Knowledge

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