Summary of a dialogue between Bryan Magee and Bernard Williams

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1、SummaryofadialoguebetweenBryanMageeandBernardWilliamsonDescartesinTheGreatPhilosophers.BernardWilliamswasthenProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Byhisexperiencesatschool,andinlife,Descarteswasstruckbythefactthatthereweresomesortsofkno

2、wledgearoundbutthattherewasnoreliablemethodbywhichthatknowledgecouldbeadvanced.ScepticismwasaninfluentialideathatwascurrentthankstoreactiontotheReformation:allsortsofclaimsweremadeabouthowreligioustruthsmaybehadwhichleadtothecriticismfromthenonreligioustha

3、tknowledgeofthesetruthswasunattainable.Inreply,thereligioussaidthat,inthis,theywerenodifferentfromother‘truths’suchasthoseinmathematicsandscience.Descartessetouttoshowthatknowledgewaspossible,andprovideamethodtoachieveitsadvancement.ForDescartescertaintyan

4、dtruthwerenotidentical:certaintyismerelyastateofmind,truthisapropertywhichrelatestotheactualstateofaffairsintheexternalworld.Buthebelievedthatonlyifyouhadthegroundsforcertaintycouldyouknowthatyouhadthetruth;andthereforethatthepursuitofcertaintyinvolvesthep

5、ursuitoftruth.Hedidnotconfusethesearchfortruthwiththesearchforcertainty.Hethoughtthattherightwayofsearchingfortruthand,aboveall,ofmakingthesearchfortruthintoasystematicprocess,wastostartbysearchingforcertainty.Hisstartingpointwastopre-emptthescepticsbypres

6、singdoubtintohisservicetoastagewherecertaintyisinviolable.Hedidthisbyemptyinghismindofanybeliefaboutwhichhecouldhaveanydoubt.Hedidthisinthreestages.Inthefirst,heputasideperceptualknowledge;inthesecondhedoubtedwhetherhewasawakeordreaming(butatleastherethedo

7、ubtdependsonknowingsomething-thattwosuchstatesexist,forexample);andfinally,imaginingamaliciousdemonbentondeceivinghimateveryturn.Thetwopurposesofthisprocessofdoubtwere:tofindwhatcertaintiestherewere;tohavethesecertaintiestoprovideabackgroundthatvalidatehis

8、methodsofenquiry.ThecertaintythatDescartesreachesistheproposition‘Idoubtthatthisisathought’couldeverbetruebecausethedoubtisitselfathought.Inotherwords,themaliciousdemoncouldnotmakehimthinkhewasthinkingwhenhew