PHILOSOPHY - History: Descartes' Cogito Argument [HD]

Summary

In this video, Stephan Schmid from Humboldt University in Berlin delves into Descartes' cogito argument, exploring the philosophical quest for certainty in the face of radical doubt. Schmid explains how Descartes sought a foundational truth, ultimately finding it in the undeniable 'I think, therefore I am.' The video humorously and insightfully unpacks the cogito, its implications for our understanding of existence and knowledge, and Descartes' journey to reestablish confidence in our common sense beliefs.

Takeaways

• 📚 Stephan Schmid introduces the cogito argument from Descartes, a famous philosophical insight encapsulated in 'I think, therefore I am' ('cogito ergo sum' in Latin).
• 🤔 The cogito argument is not just a statement but an attempt to answer a deeper philosophical question about the foundation of knowledge and certainty.
• 🎓 Rene Descartes was a 17th-century French philosopher who sought a fundamental reboot of philosophy due to dissatisfaction with the abstract and ungrounded nature of scholastic philosophy.
• 🏗️ Descartes believed that a new philosophical system should be built on the most certain beliefs, which are the things we can be sure are true.
• 🤨 Descartes' method of 'radical doubt' involves questioning all beliefs to find which can withstand doubt and be accepted as absolutely certain.
• 🧐 The application of radical doubt reveals that most of our everyday certainties, like watching a video or brushing teeth, are not as certain as we might think.
• 😶 The only belief that withstands radical doubt is the act of thinking itself, as doubt is a form of thinking and we cannot doubt that we are doubting.
• 💡 Descartes' cogito argument concludes that we can be absolutely certain of our existence while we are thinking, providing a firm foundation for philosophy.
• 🌐 The cogito argument is the starting point for Descartes to restore certainty in our common sense beliefs and the existence of the external world.
• 📘 Descartes' 'Meditations On First Philosophy' is where he extensively discusses his method and attempts to establish an unshakable foundation for philosophy.
• 🧠 From the certainty of thinking, Descartes deduces that he is a thinking thing, a mind or intellect, which is a real and existing entity.
• 🔍 Descartes' method involves 'squeezing out' further certainties from the established ones, such as deducing that he is a thinking entity from the fact that he thinks.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video and what is his profession?

The speaker is Stephan Schmid, who is a teacher at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

What is the central philosophical argument discussed in the video?

The central philosophical argument discussed is Descartes's cogito argument, famously known as 'I think, therefore, I am' or 'cogito ergo sum' in Latin.

What is the significance of the joke about Descartes in the video?

The joke serves to illustrate the concept of Descartes's cogito argument in a humorous way, highlighting the idea that doubting one's thought is the only thing that cannot be doubted.

Who was Rene Descartes and what was his philosophical stance?

Rene Descartes was a seventeenth-century French philosopher known for his dissatisfaction with the scholastic philosophy of his time. He sought to establish a new philosophical system based on certain and unshakable beliefs.

What is the method Descartes suggests to find certain and unshakable beliefs?

Descartes suggests the method of 'radical doubt,' where one subjects all beliefs to doubt and identifies which can withstand this doubt to be accepted as absolutely certain.

What does Descartes argue is the only thing we can be absolutely certain about?

Descartes argues that the only thing we can be absolutely certain about is that we exist while we think, as doubting or thinking is a form of existence.

What is the purpose of the cogito argument in Descartes's philosophy?

The cogito argument serves as the unshakable and firm foundation upon which Descartes builds his new philosophical system, providing the certainty of our existence while thinking.

How does Descartes address the challenge of restoring certainty in our common sense beliefs?

Descartes works to restore certainty in our common sense beliefs by extending the stock of beliefs that we can be certain about through a method of inference from one belief to another, starting from the certainty of our existence while thinking.

What does Descartes conclude about the nature of our existence based on the cogito argument?

Descartes concludes that we are, in the strict sense, a thinking thing, a mind, or intelligence, which is real and truly exists, based on the certainty that we exist while thinking.

What advice does the speaker give to those who are puzzled or afraid by the implications of Descartes's philosophy?

The speaker advises those who are puzzled or afraid to read Descartes's 'Meditations On First Philosophy,' particularly the third meditation, to understand how Descartes proves that we can be certain of having a body and the existence of other corporeal things.