ipl-logo

Dream Argument Descartes

1111 Words5 Pages

In this essay, I will be presenting and evaluating two separate arguments that were written by a philosopher named Descartes. These arguments were written, with his “beliefs set aside” (Descartes, p. 333), in order to justify the skeptic’s point of view. Descartes was not a skeptic himself and by proposing these two arguments and challenging them, he is able to better show that knowledge must exist. While studying this topic in my philosophy class, I learned the way philosophers define knowledge and it is made up of three components. That is, we can only know something if it is true, if we believe it, and if there is evidence to prove it. This is important because for a skeptic, we cannot know about anything because there is no real justification …show more content…

The dream argument is presented by Descartes in his book, Meditations on First Philosophy, and is basically raising the question that “what if our life just all a dream? How do we truly distinguish what is real from what is a dream?” (Descartes, p. 334). It is interesting to think about this because if you think from a skeptical point of view, like Descartes is doing while writing these arguments, it is possible that you could put some beliefs into doubt that you normally would not. He writes about “how vivid dreams can sometimes be and how it is possible for us to not be able to distinguish whether an action that you remember was from reality or a dream state” (Descartes, p. 334). This skeptic point of view is challenging knowledge in its entirety. If all of our life is a dream, then we cannot truly know anything. Just because we feel a pinch on our arm or feel anxiety before taking a big test, “we cannot know for sure that we are not dreaming because we can recall that in what we already perceive to be a dream, such perceptions seem real too” (Descartes, p. 333). The dream argument can question knowledge that we find to be no-brainers. It questions even the basic “mathematics and colors. How do we know that 6+6=12?” (Descartes, p. 333). Is it because we just know that it does? I believe that Descartes really is trying to stress the point that just because we are sure of something to be …show more content…

Nonetheless they did get me to thinking. While studying these arguments, I tried to do as Descartes did and put all of my beliefs aside and dissect the argument. I can why a skeptic would say that an evil demon could have the goal to deceive me at all times, therefore making everything that I seem to think to know unreliable, but I do not agree with it. To me, this argument is does not justify that we have no knowledge because, as Descartes’ concluded, “we must exist in order to think that we could be being deceived” (Descartes, p. 337-338). Therefore, I do know something. As far as the dream argument, it does not appeal to me. I understand why Descartes wrote this argument, but it leads back to the same conclusion as the evil deceiver argument, I am pondering this dream argument and this proves to me that I can think and obtain knowledge. Therefore, I must exist and this life that I live is not a dream

Show More
Related
1301 Words | 6 Pages

This is evident through arguments such as “The Argument from Past Failures”, “The Argument from Madness” and “The Dreaming Argument”. In Descartes’ famous “Dreaming Argument” Descartes argues that “there are never any sure signs by means of which being awake can be distinguished from being asleep.”, giving an example where he thought he was sitting next to a fireplace, unaware he was actually in bed dreaming (13). This argument challenges the idea of the senses again as it presents the idea that we can never know if what we are currently experiencing is real as we may be in a dream. Proving that there is no way to differentiate between reality and a dream, resulting in the idea that our whole life may have just been a dream, Descartes provided a counter argument to elaborate on the “Dreaming Argument” known as the “The Painting Analogy”. This analogy explains how like a painting and painter, dreams derive their material based on experiences we have while awake (13).

Read More
1382 Words | 6 Pages

Dreams are defined as a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during sleep. Psychological studies show that dreams only occur during certain stages of sleep. However, Rene Descartes, a French philosopher argues that the sensations felt in dreams are indistinguishable from the ones we feel in real life. In Descartes Meditations I, Descartes talks about the dream argument in which he introduces the following premises. 1.

Read More
513 Words | 3 Pages

Uneventful dreams such as going to the store or mowing the lawn can be convincing enough for you to be unaware that you are dreaming. Skeptics argue that because you are not able to distinguish between some dreams and the external world, then one is unable to trust their own perception. The dreaming argument begs the question that if you can not distinguish between dreams and the external world on certain occasions then you cannot be certain that you are not dreaming at any moment of your day. Opposers of this sceptical scenario might protest that they know they are awake therefore they are not dreaming, but they have no evidence to back their claim because they are using the senses that have deceived them in the past. They are unable to obtain any knowledge about whether they can trust their senses.

Read More
1449 Words | 6 Pages

In both the movie Inception and Descartes, each postulate that dreams can be so real that can be impossible to know if you are dreaming or not. The movie solves this assertion by introducing the concept that you could have an object that only the possessor knows its properties which can ensure you are awake and not dreaming. On the other hand, Descartes proposes no such simple fix, but states that if

Read More
1037 Words | 5 Pages

The apparent obvious answer would be along the lines of, “If you’re dreaming, you can pinch yourself awake,” but that does not satisfy the complexity of reality and philosophers would not accept an answer that simple. He brings into the argument René Descartes’ Meditations and the point that since when we dream, it seems real and not dream-like, how can you tell that you still are not dreaming at this very moment? It appears there is no justification or real answer to tell if everyday experiences are not just hallucinations but Descartes claims since we have some knowledge about there being a difference between reality in dreaming, we must have experienced both at some point. The analogy the philosopher presents is similar to how a painter is not able to create a painting without paints, prior knowledge of reality must be experienced to determine what is

Read More
323 Words | 2 Pages

“How do I know that I am not dreaming” is one of the main questions that Descartes brings afloat in the dream argument. He wants to know how can it be possible to prove that he is not dreaming while he is seating and holding his piece of paper, and this is what creates a skeptic argument about his perceptual beliefs. In effect, the dream argument is powerful because it depicts how the senses may deceive us while putting into question if it is possible to know what is real and what is not. In fact, it is very sufficient to produce uncertainties about waking experiences. As Descartes poses it in the in the First Meditation, “…I dreamt that I found myself in this particular place, that I was dressed and seated near the fire, whilst in reality

Read More
1532 Words | 7 Pages

Discourse on the method, by Desecrate is a famous philosophical book, which focuses on doubting, certainty and existence. In his book, Desecrate constantly shifts from doubting to certainty. Although Descartes believes that everything can be doubted he finds ways to became certain of his existence mainly through quote “Cogito, ergo sum”, which means, “I think, therefore I exist”. Despite this phrase is one of the best in the world, and many people rushed to Descartes says, I see that it doesn’t have much significance as people think, he did not come up with any thing new. We have different kind of people, which are divided into religious, atheists and lost people.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

In this paper, I will deliver a reconstruction of Descartes’ Cogito Argument and my reasoning to validate it as indubitable. I will do so by justifying my interpretations through valid arguments and claim, by showcasing examples with reasoning. Rene Descartes is a French Philosopher of the 17th century, who formulated the philosophical Cogito argument by the name of ‘cogito ergo sum,’ also known as “I think, therefore, I am.” Rene was a skeptic philosopher amongst many scholastic philosophers at his time. He took a skeptical approach towards the relations between thoughts and existence, to interpret his cogito argument as indubitable and whether it could serve as a foundational belief.

Read More
997 Words | 4 Pages

The idea that if one can comprehend something in a dream, it therefore must exist in real life. The fact of this is that we know no positive transition between our dream state and the state of reality, and since dreams are so similar to reality, one can never tell when they are truly dreaming. Descartes demonstrates this idea with his own experiences, “How often, asleep at night, am I convinced of just such familiar events-that I am here in my dressing-gown, sitting by the fire – when in fact I am lying undressed in bed! Yet at the moment my eyes are certainly awake” (Descartes 145). By using simple experiences like these Descartes is able to emphasize that when a person is dreaming, they do not usually know they are dreaming, and the sensations they experience are as real as if they were awake.

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

Descartes introduces a "Method of Doubt" that allows him to systematically doubts structures of knowledge. To understand the dream argument, you need to understand its function in Descartes's argument. Within mediation one on his Mediations on First Philosophy Descartes establishes many areas in which he can call into doubt his existence and experiences. One of the arguments where he begins his questioning is the dream argument. In the dream argument he presents evidence in order to support his claim that one can never establish if they are actually dreaming or are awake.

Read More
1228 Words | 5 Pages

The Challenge of Scepticism -The Dream Argument. Descartes’ ‘Dream Argument’ suggests that we can never really trust our senses to tell the difference between the dream world and reality. In Descartes’ Meditations of First Philosophy (Descartes, 1641), he states he has dreamt he was; “in this particular place, that I was dressed and seated by the fire, whilst in reality I was lying undressed in bed!” (Descartes, 1641) This suggests that in his dream, he believed he was awake when in actual fact, he was asleep and dreaming about being awake, raising the question; how do we differentiate between dreams and reality?

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

The “why we dream argument see dreams as only nonsense that the brain creates from fragments of images and memory” (Obringer). On this side of the argument dreams are viewed as tricks of the mind that just seem to happen. Other people believe differently. Some people believe dreams have meaning even if we don’t recognize it at first. “Many think dreams are full of symbolic messages that may not be clear to us on the surface” (Obringer).

Read More
1103 Words | 5 Pages

Horrific thoughts consume the mind as they play almost like a movie throughout the night until the dreamer finally wakes up. They might ruin an entire day, making him or her feel anxious or even frightened throughout it. That type of dream is called a nightmare. They are the most disturbing types of dreams. They are mainly a response to real life stresses or problems.

Read More
681 Words | 3 Pages

The General History of Virginia was written in 1624, by Captain John Smith. This particular account was combined from previous materials Smith had written. The General History of Virginia was specifically written to epitomize the history of the American colonies. John Smith wrote The General History of Virginia to provide details for future colonist. Captain Smith became one of the first writers to discuss self-creation, practicality, and cultural contact (Barbour).

Read More
1234 Words | 5 Pages

In this post I am going to bring to light a few lucid dreaming facts that are not only interesting, but it will also tell you why this skill is a great advantage for someone interested in personal development. Some of the best lucid dreaming books I ever read, put personal development before all other lucid dreaming benefits and a person who has gained a lot of experience in conscious dreaming always get to learn that lucid dreams can become a great tool for one’s improvement in myriad of ways. The initial craze of fulfilling various desires in dreams gradually fades away with time and one begins to realize that he/she can use his conscious dreams for greater purposes.

Read More

More about Dream Argument Descartes

Related Topics

Open Document