Pope John Paul II Vs Descartes

Humans are set apart by their ability to inquire and question the world around them. Many different inquirers from the ages have built their work off another individual, but some believe that they can only do this through self-evaluation. Two great philosophers, Pope John Paul II and Descartes offer two distinct ways to perform this type of inquiry. Pope John Paul II believed that to “know thyself,” one must turn to the world around himself. Descartes believed that the only thing that he could know to be true was himself, and could only do so if he turned inward. These two opposing views each offer compelling insight into the idea of understanding oneself.
In a prelude to his work, Fides et Ratio, Pope John Paul II sets the tone for his

Man is on a continual journey to gain understanding of himself and this search has led humanity to learn and search for truth. Human beings, John Paul reasons, are set apart from the rest of the created world because they “know themselves” (Fides et Ratio, par. 1). Man wishes to know who he is, and this is only possible, per Pope John Paul II, by turning outward: “The more human beings know reality and the world, the more they know themselves in their uniqueness” (Fides et Ratio, par. 4). This bold statement shows his stance that to know oneself, it is impossible to turn inwards and find it, rather one must turn to the world around

He does so by beginning with the idea that the outside world is a hoax created by an evil genius, and all he can depend on is himself. This evil genius tries to deceive Descartes in every way, in everything around him, including “the heavens, the air, the earth, the colors, shapes, sounds, and all external things” (Meditations, AT 22). He believes that all that can be understood, or that he can believe, is that he exists and can think. Everything that Descartes can know, is found within. This is the dangerous idea that John Paul II warns against. Descartes believes, though that, the senses can fail him, and could be the evil genius trying to trick him, therefore, he cannot rely on his senses. The idea that the senses fail man directly contradicts Pope John Paul’s stance that man looks outward to creation, and the world around him, to finally use that understanding to know himself. Meanwhile, Descartes looks solely