God

Throughout the entire book I feel that he really seems to be jumpy on the whole "God" subject. He starts out very hesitant about the subject and then gets more opinionated. At the end of the book I feel that "God" becomes a touchy subject again. I feel that most of the book revolves around God and/or an afterlife. I feel that almost every blog I see can relate to God. I can be completely wrong but that is my opinion.

MED. 2

"I will stay on this course until I know something certain, or, if nothing else, until I at least know for certain that nothing is certain." -pg 63, paragraph 24

What I feel is being said in the quote that I saw in Michaela's blog, is that he is going along with what life is giving him. I feel that this quote can be relating back to God. By saying that he will stay on this course until he knows something certain....that something certain can be an afterlife. And when he says or until I at least know nothing is certain, can be that he finds out their is no afterlife.

Meditation 2 : Wax

"Let us take, for instance, this piece of wax. It has been taken quite recently from the honeycomb... For whatever came under the senses of taste, smell, sight, touch or hearing has now changed; and yet the wax remains...
Perhaps the wax was what I now think it is...was a body that a short time ago manifested itself to me in these ways, and now does so in other ways."


Descartes speaks of the wax as if it were him or any individual. The notion that at one point there were certain characteristics in which pertain to his way of thinking and living and that although he/we may perceive himself/ourselves as differing from a past time, through his/our senses, he is/we are still himself/ourselves. This shows truth to his "I think, therefore I am" argument; That although we may change the way we think, change our opinions, change our physical features, change the way in which we act and react, change our personalities etc., we are still, by definition, Wax.

Meditation II

Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind: That Is better Known Than the Body

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"I will stay on this course until I know something certain, or, if nothing else, until I at least know for certain that nothing is certain." -pg 63, paragraph 24

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The sheer phrasing of this line is ambiguous but astoundingly interesting, as it is a proclamation of his dedication to independent conclusions. He will verify whatever possible to the fullest extent, even if that means proving it is entirely inconclusive. 

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As D continues to discuss the relative natures of the body and soul to validate his existance he delves into the concept of thought proving existance. Because you are the creator, and sole owner and participant in that thought you must be real by way of that capability. As we discussed in class, this is the point at which D considered the length of a thought: thoughts only occur in the immediate present, while tangible items are at a constant regardless of our own personal state. Even repetative thoughts are individual, each and every item thought of it entirely in the "now". (RE: pg 65, paragraph 27)

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"Thus what I had thought I had seen with my eyes, I actually grasped solely with the faculty of judgement, which is in my mind." pg 68, paragraph 32

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The concept of judgement leading perceptions is an incredible truth! It is human nature, and perhaps all animals nature to take clues and determine what we are observing. Although each of these signals come from a sense, this basis is generated from the minds understanding of what said item should entail. All of our preconceptions and expectations come from our judgments. 

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"For since I now know that even bodies are not, properly speaking, perceived by the senses or by the faculty of the imagination, but by the intellect alone, and that they are not perceived through their being touched or seen, but only though their being understood..." pg 69, paragraph 34

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As previously stated, our judgements and senses are inaccurate in unquestionably determining anything we believe to observe, as we are constantly clouded by what we are expecting to see. But from these senses, we are able to build concrete versions of what we understand certain things to be, giving validity to its existence through our full and definite observation and contemplation of it. By fully experiencing and understanding something, you are able to gain full insight into it, allowing you personal recognition of its tangible aspects. 

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"But what then am I? A thing that thinks. What is that? A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and that also imagines and senses." pg 66

**I just wanted to add this particular quote because I enjoyed it. I'll leave it up to others for interpretation.

Meditation 2

Between 24 & 25

"Therefore I suppose that everything I see is false. I believe that none of what my deceitful memory represents ever existed. I have no senses whatever. Body, shape, extension, movement, and place are all chimeras. What then will be true? Perhaps just the single fact that nothing is certain."

I think what is being said is that nothing you hear is entirely true. There is always something in the statement that can be contradicted. He also talks about body and shape. Here he could meen that we all eventually die, and are no more. Its almost as if after many years gone, we become false and no longer exist in the world.

Discourse Part II (Entry #2)

"But I had learned in my college days that one cannot image anything so strange or so little beliveable that it had not been said by one of the philosophers, and since then, I had recognized in my travels that all those who have sentiments quite contrary to our own are not for that reason barbarians or savages, but many of them use their reason as much or more than we do." pg 9, paragraph 16

-This statement took several tries before I was able to fully comprehend its meaning. D understands and blatantly states that the musing of philosophers are often called into question because people aren't open to these newly proposed concepts. The latter half of the statement goes to prove its validity, as he states that if we have "sentimental" differences, which are of course our cultural and societal customs, we lose respect for these people; regarding them as barbarians or savages. Without thinking about how it is a fundamental human characteristic to follow the lessons, beliefs and traditions of your own culture.

-On pg 11, D discusses his rules which he strictly adheres to, to ensure he's pursuit for the truth in his own life. 

"...never to accept anything as true that I did not plainly know to be such... avoid hasty judgment and prejudice... I would examine into as many parts as possible, and as was required in order to better resolve them... by supposing an order even among those things that do not naturally precede one another.... to make enumerations so complete and reviews so general that I was assured of having omitted nothing..." (excerpts) pg 11, paragraph 19

All of these things he lists above are important traits all people should try to possess. This method of critical thinking, within any aspect of life would allow someone to make careful and well thought out decisions. By doing this, D seeks to better his own life, but in turn gives a good example of the fundamental things that must be taken into account in order to do so. Even though, previously, he has said he does not wish to push his beliefs or systems onto anyone, these personal rules he outlines for himself are a good basis for any persons life. 

"...provided only that one abstain from accepting any of them as true that is not true, and that one always adheres to the oder one must follow in deducing the ones from the others, there cannot be any that are so remote that they eventually reached nor so hidden that they are not discovered." pg 11, paragraph 20

Simply put, I think that D, again is stating that through these methods of deduction and reasoning any solution is a possibility. All problems can be fixed by determining the method of deduction necessary and applying it to the problem. Through your own understanding and research you, and all involved persons seek to benefit from this knowledge.

D continues on to discuss how he uses mathematical rationalizations to solve the issues he encounters. The scientific, logical and exact reasoning used can be applied to resolve specific issues, through prescribed methods:

"I thought that in order to better consider them in particular, I ought to suppose them to be relations between lines, since I found nothing more simple, or nothing that I could represent more distinctly to my imagination and to my sense; but that, in order to keep them in my mind or to grasp many of them together, I would have to explicate them by means I would be borrowing all that is best in geometical analysis and algebra, and correcting all the defects of the one by means of the other" pg 12, paragraph 20

-I found the last sentence of this quote to be particularly interesting because it seemed strikingly broad, I thought it was an excellent representation of what would be necessary to improve society.  By fixing certain problems, in turn we would change other situations, allowing everyone better opportunities.

Also, I felt that there was one particular quote within D's discussion of math and analysis that stood apart and rang true for life in general, "... even though their objects differed, these sciences did not cease to be all in accord with one anotehr in considering nothing but the various relations or proportions which are found in their objects..." pg 11, paragraph 20. I felt that this meant that all things in the world are inter-related and have a bearing upon the other, whether or not we recognize the connection. When one thing is altered, in turn all other things are altered, and eventually a balance must be reached in accord with all the various elements that are being affected.

Discourse: Part 2 "An entire day shut by myself..."

"Thus one sees that buildings undertaken and completed by a single architect are usually more attractive and better ordered than those by which many architects have tried to patch up by using old walls that had been built for other purposes...it is chance rather than the will of some men using reason that has arranged them thus."

If I may, I'd like to use the manner in which we as a class have been instructed to complete our Blogging assignments as an explanation towards what I believe Descartes is trying to explain. Let us suppose for a moment that the blog in which I am posting is the building being constructed. Now I, the architect, am able to piece together these words and ideas in a more understandable fashion. I have taken the writings of Descartes and single handedly put together what I believe he is speaking of. Now suppose this piece was to be discussed amongst the fellow members of my group and we were to come up with only one blog of explanation. It is in my belief that the ideas in which we would each come up with would create a jumble of words that would hold little insight to what we were attempting to interpret. Differing ideas, disagreements on interpretation and the lack of the ability to focus on an equal goal would leave our "committee" with a work that is "crooked and uneven" (I believe that if Sparta was at one time very flourishing..having been devised by a single individual, they all tended towards the same end).

Now being that it is by "chance" that we are to individually post the ideas out of the sections that we were assigned, we can use our "reason" on Descartes' work and come up with our own interpretations more clearly, from lessons in which we raised upon and that make us individuals ("And thus, too, i thought that, because we were all children before being men and women, and because it was necessary for us to be governed by our appetites and teachers..it is nearly impossible for our judgments to be as pure or as solid as they would have been if we had full use of our reason from the moment of our birth and if we had always been guided by it alone") What we are learning through Descartes work is also creating us as independently thinking persons.

"I would succeed in conducting my life much better than if I were to build only upon old foundations"

When he says this I feel that he is trying to say that starting over and being on a clean slate is better than trying to fix things that have been hurt, abused, and used in the past.

buildings & conflict

I agree with this part "-The buildings represent the conflict in society when there is no unity, a single creative mind can accomplish more than individuals trying to repair the old rather than creating something new. " I think that the buildings represent people without unity due to the fact that som buildings are tall, while others are short. Some are red and some are white, etc.

Discourse- Part II (Post #1)

The following are my reactions to the content of Part II in Discourse:

 "... buildings undertaken and completed by a single architect are usually more attractive and better ordered than those which many architects have tried to patch up by using old walls that had been built for other purposes." pg 7, paragraph 12

-The buildings represent the conflict in society when there is no unity, a single creative mind can accomplish more than individuals trying to repair the old rather than creating something new. 

"I would succeed in conducting my life much better than if I were to build only upon old foundations and if I were to rely on the principles of which I had allowed myself to be persuaded in my youth, without ever having examined whether they were true." pg 8, paragraph 14

-Descartes suggests building your own foundations rather than devoting yourself to the concepts you're taught. By generating your own understanding of these ideas and seeking the truth rather than accepting what you're told, you stand to improve your life. By building your morals and character on "unstable foundations" it is impossible to reach the pinnacle of your success. But, it is possible to rebuild foundations through doubt, and eventual truth.

Descartes describes how there are two types of people that are wholly unsuited for reasoning such as his: There are people who "believing themselves more capable than they are, are unable to avoid being hasty in their judgments or to have enough patience to conduct all their thoughts in an orderly manner." pg 9, paragraph 15

There are also "those who have enough reason or modesty to judge that they are less capable of distinguishing the true from the false than certain others by whom they can be instructed; they should content themselves more with following the opinions of these than with looking for better ones themselves." pg 9, paragraph 15

-This portion of the text was particularly striking because regardless of the length of time that has passed since this piece was written, these types of people still exist (and dominate) the world. People who think they are capable of anything think that they are infallible, and therefore, all of their beliefs and ideas must in turn be the truth. Because they are so blinded by their own self centered truth, they rarely question the things they have been taught because they are ultimately convinced anything they know must be correct.

-On the other side of the spectrum, there are people that refuse to question what they've been taught because they lack the ability to have confidence in their own conclusions. So therefore, these people are forever content to simply take what they have been told as the absolute truth without any hint of doubt. 

Although I have more information regarding the remainder of Part II, I will save the additional notes and ideas I have for another post at a later date.

Thanks!!!!

GO GIANTS!!!!! 

Wow I finally figured out this blog thing!