Short answer: Descartes' doubt was like WWI - the doubt to end all doubt. Only by doubting everything could Descartes hope to find anything that was certain (even if the only certainty is that nothing else is certain!).
Descartes found it impossible to doubt his own existence. The reason for this was that he felt that thoughts had to come from himself.
Philosophically, Descartes was concerned with the existence of reality.
he believed if you can doubt it, it must not exist.
For Descartes, this was the fact that he existed as a thinker. He was perfectly sure he was thinking; and he was likewise convinced that to be thinking he had to exist as some kind of substance.
Descartes cannot doubt his own existence, as captured in his famous statement "Cogito, ergo sum" - "I think, therefore I am."
He can not doubt that he thinks, therefore he exists.
Short answer: Descartes' doubt was like WWI - the doubt to end all doubt. Only by doubting everything could Descartes hope to find anything that was certain (even if the only certainty is that nothing else is certain!).
Descartes attempts to doubt everything he believes to be true in order to find a foundational belief that cannot be doubted. He starts by doubting his senses, then his perceptions, and finally even the existence of the external world. Through this method of doubt, he arrives at the conclusion that his own existence as a thinking thing ("I think, therefore I am") is indubitable.
Descartes hopes to find out what he can know for certain, without any doubt, about the world and nature.
René Descartes, a French philosopher, created the system of systematic doubt. In his work "Meditations on First Philosophy," Descartes employs the method of doubt to question all his beliefs in order to find a foundation of certainty in knowledge.
The method of doubt is a philosophical approach introduced by René Descartes to challenge our beliefs and find certainty in knowledge. By systematically doubting everything that can be doubted, Descartes aimed to uncover truths that cannot be reasonably doubted, such as his own existence ("Cogito, ergo sum"). This method has influenced modern philosophy and epistemology.
Descartes found it impossible to doubt his own existence. The reason for this was that he felt that thoughts had to come from himself.
Descartes believed that doubt was a crucial tool in the search for truth. By subjecting all his beliefs to doubt, he aimed to find a foundation of knowledge that could not be doubted. This led him to his famous statement "Cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), which served as the starting point for his philosophical system.
René Descartes introduced the concept of the evil genius in his philosophical work to highlight radical skepticism. The evil genius is a hypothetical being that deceives our senses and understanding of reality, leading Descartes to doubt all knowledge acquired through the senses. This doubt serves as the foundation for Descartes' "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am") argument as a starting point for building his system of knowledge.
Descartes' doubt comes to an end when he establishes the existence of a thinking self (cogito), leading him to the conclusion that he cannot doubt his own existence as a thinking being. This realization forms the foundation of his philosophy, emphasizing the certainty of self-awareness as a starting point for knowledge.
Systematic doubt. Descartes could doubt everything except for one thing - his own existence. Cogito ergo sum - "I think, therefore I am" - became his first principle.