Rene Descartes 'Dream Argument'
Test of Perception
The basic premises on which we rely to grasp reality are our senses. We hear Church bells ringing, see the mesmerizing colors of a rainbow, smell the aroma of a fresh batch of cookies, taste the pungent flavors of chili peppers, and physically touch the ground on which we at least perceive we are standing. Descartes presents a dream argument that the senses are deceitful and one cannot distinguish between dream and reality. First I shall dive into Descartes’ dream argument, then present Hetherington’s two ways of challenging the dream argument, and then finally provide my own viewpoint. The dream argument for skepticism is possible; but without believing the very foundations conceived from perception, there is nothing to lie back on, resulting in an unsettling life of no meaning. René Descartes, on a quest for truth, liberates himself from all his beliefs. Applying his method of doubt, he throws away everything he knows in a process of eradication and reconstruction as he then looks for beliefs which are certain and indubitable. Aware of the daunting task ahead, Descartes pinpoints his attack on what he considers the foundational basis of reality, perception along with its credibility. Dreams can oftentimes be so realistic that we are convinced that a dream …show more content…
How do we know when we’re dreaming, and when we’re not? If you cannot prove that you can discern reality, then you do not genuinely know what is going on in the world around you. Descartes shatters the basis of our comfort zone in pointing out that we cannot trust the things we take for granted from even sense perception. It is possible I am dreaming right now, and that all my perceptions are false. Knowledge, common knowledge included, becomes undermined and everything begins to tear apart from the
The basic premises on which we rely to grasp reality are our senses. We hear Church bells ringing, see the mesmerizing colors of a rainbow, smell the aroma of a fresh batch of cookies, taste the pungent flavors of chili peppers, and physically touch the ground on which we at least perceive we are standing. Descartes presents a dream argument that the senses are deceitful and one cannot distinguish between dream and reality. First I shall dive into Descartes’ dream argument, then present Hetherington’s two ways of challenging the dream argument, and then finally provide my own viewpoint. The dream argument for skepticism is possible; but without believing the very foundations conceived from perception, there is nothing to lie back on, resulting in an unsettling life of no meaning. René Descartes, on a quest for truth, liberates himself from all his beliefs. Applying his method of doubt, he throws away everything he knows in a process of eradication and reconstruction as he then looks for beliefs which are certain and indubitable. Aware of the daunting task ahead, Descartes pinpoints his attack on what he considers the foundational basis of reality, perception along with its credibility. Dreams can oftentimes be so realistic that we are convinced that a dream …show more content…
How do we know when we’re dreaming, and when we’re not? If you cannot prove that you can discern reality, then you do not genuinely know what is going on in the world around you. Descartes shatters the basis of our comfort zone in pointing out that we cannot trust the things we take for granted from even sense perception. It is possible I am dreaming right now, and that all my perceptions are false. Knowledge, common knowledge included, becomes undermined and everything begins to tear apart from the