The Cogito & Free Self-Consciousness
1/3 of my Midterm of Phil. Does this make sense?
Prompt: Explain Descartes’ Cogito argument. What role does this argument play in his overall argument in the Meditations? Do you think the Cogito argument accomplishes what Descartes intended? Why or why not?
Through implementing radical skepticism on preconceived assumptions of the past, Descartes attempted to create an irrefutable rationalism founded on the existence of self. Descartes began his inquiry by doubting every possible idea. By recognizing he doubted, Descartes realized he was, as long as he could place a subject of self to an action he could never disbelieve existence. Descartes believed utilizing the unquestionable Cogito could restore the God’s existence. While Descartes succeeded creating an indisputable foundation (Cogito), he failed substantiating God’s existence. Although Descartes believed he achieved this goal, the jump from solipsism to theism is incoherent and predicated on assumptions Descartes hoped to avoid.
By brining the Cogito into existence, Descartes falls into inevitable solipsism. However, because Descartes’ Catholicism, solipsism was unacceptable as it discredited theism. Descartes acknowledged he had finite existence and could always comprehend an infinitely greater being than him or anything else in the world. This infinite progression to a greater being, along with knowing every effect must have a cause, lead Descartes to believe the beginning of the infinite progress was God, since by definition God is infinite and creates itself. Descartes believed an idea of God was no more real than God itself because understanding infinite essence implies infinite existence, otherwise infinite essence is paradoxically limited. The evil deceiver becomes discredited because evil lacks good and implies boundary on uncontainable power. With God’s existence, the ability to accurately comprehend reality is reestablished since God provides objective method of understanding.
Although Descartes’ jump from solipsism to God initially makes sense, he largely ignores multiple problems which discredit God as all powerful. The Cogito is circular logic for distinct reasoning. An aspect of the world (consciousness) perceives itself as separate from the world through perpetual comparison of what it is not, resulting in a “not being” (I am not a car, a house, a dog). In order to become a “being”, “I” (which has no concept of self for itself, only what it is not) reflects back on itself (Cogito). The result is circular, I think, therefore I am, I know I am because I think, ad infinitum. Infinity exists within self-conscious reflection. This does not imply solipsism is a legitimate philosophical inquiry, it merely states isolated consciousness collapses in on itself through infinite reflection, creating being by itself, for itself. Metaphorically we are each our own God, infinity exists within all of us. We are perpetually in creation of our existence. If we fail to separate ourselves from the world we fall into totality and consciousness is destroyed. The cause of self-consciousness is realization of consciousness of consciousness ad infinitum. We escape this endless pitfall by arbitrarily ending the regression and recognizing infinite versions of self are all the same. In short, “I” when infinitely reflected is still “I”. Infinity within self-consciousness loses meaning as we recognize every apparent version of being is only being. Every point is exactly the same and equal in infinity, implying only one point. This recognition results in the idea of God losing infinite capability, there exists only my consciousness within my consciousness. Here the idea of an infinite God hits a barrier, individual consciousness, which can exist only for itself and by itself. The answer to what happens when an unstoppable force (God) hits an unmovable object (consciousness) appears to be humans. Regardless of how the external world was created, the Cogito proves self as the creator of self, not God. When consciousness reflects back on itself, it is in complete control of itself and answers to nothing but itself, discrediting the idea of an all-powerful God.
TL/DR: The Cogito proves conscioussness exists only because it brings itself into existence, meaning if there was an infinite God he would be limited in influencing our consciousness since it answers only to itself....
Does this make sense? I have yet to hand it in....
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