- Published: December 13, 2021
- Updated: December 13, 2021
- University / College: University of York
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 14
Descartes’s concept of Hyperbolic doubt Descarte’s need to address issues via his technique of doubt rendered him to thisindomitable strategy of “ hyperbolic doubt”, whereby he set a basis for considering false any belief that is a victim to any slightest doubt (Nicholas and Schindler, 172). On his way of finding the truth related to various concepts, Descarte considered the hyperbolic doubt to pave way for finding the unprejudiced feedback. In which case, the concept requires one to seek out for only the things that lies beyond doubt; an intuition which makes the mental process of doubting as the only assured truth. Conclusively, the concept validates the view that an individual, though may doubt, cannot doubt his existence.
Just like any other concept, employing hyperbolic doubt has both positive and negative sides. One of the major benefits is that the universal application of the concept can help in freeing the world from the pervasive war between the existing religions, as evident between Muslims and Christians. Naturally, the war exists because of the different beliefs held by each party. This means that employing hyperbolic doubt will unveil the truth consequently quelling away the war of beliefs (Nicholas and Schindler, 172).
Employing hyperbolic doubt may prove to promote innovation and development if applied on a large scale. Most of the innovations, especially in medicine and technology, were once perceived as impossible; consequently, in the presence of the concept, the innovators come up with doubts on their possible projects until they achieve the truth. In essence, it promotes the ability of the world to move forward because it orients the subjects to constantly doubt things to the point of getting real answers.
The major disadvantage of employing the concept is that it ends up promoting suspicion among its subjects. The suspicion created triggers the belief that evil is pervasive, especially in instances where there is no clear understanding of a given aspect (Nicholas and Schindler, 172). Usually, this makes the subject unfriendly because of the inescapable mistrust coming as the result of holding hyperbolic doubt. Further, the hyperbolic doubt also subjects individual to avoid judgment using “ face value” making them only believe on the worst case scenario. Intuitively, employing the concept will only make other people look more sinister than we care.
Hyperbolic doubt is a sub-set of skepticism considering that it concerns doubting aspects to the point where all the slightest doubts are subdued. In which case, skepticism is holding false a source of information until the moment when all the doubts are disproven. Essentially, this means that Descarte made use of skepticism as the basis for constructing his concept of hyperbolic doubt. In the same way a skeptic individual may doubt the validity of “ life-after-death so does it happen to those employing hyperbolic doubt.
While the tripartite definition holds that knowledge is a kind of belief which should be taken as the truth, Descartes’s concept of Hyperbolic doubt asserts that it should be all about knowing how and not blatantly believing. The concept disproves the assertion that knowledge is a belief and instead supports the need for detaching knowledge from any slightest doubt.
Work cited
Healy, Nicholas J, and D C. Schindler. Being Holy in the World: Theology and Culture in the Thought of David L. Schindler. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2011. Print.