Both Descartes and Hume

Both Descartes and Hume are considered to be sceptics, although arriving at different conclusions. They both effect rationalism and empiricism but their theories are very different. Descartes’ philosophy was about substance and arrived at the cogito ergo sum argument- I think therefore I am. Hume on the other hand was a sceptic who defended ‘natural philosophy’ and naturalism. For Hume the importance of the mind is to think, where that of matter is to be extended. Hume’s sceptisicm is much deeper than Descartes’.

Descartes’ first meditation brings about his skepticism, and uses three examples to prove that he should doubt experiences. He doubts the senses, the idea of dreams, and argues the concept of some sort of supernatural being that is able to trick him into thinking about things. In the second Meditation, Descartes does not simply create the “I exist”. He explores what the “I” is in “I exist”. Descartes argues that this “I” is a thinking thing, or “res cogitans”.

Hume investigated the scientific view of human being. His philosophy depended on a theory of meaning. His theory was designed to understand the fundamental empiricist premise that there can be no concept except where there is experience. He distinguished among the contents of the mind ‘impressions’ and ‘ideas’. Hume held on to the preconceived notion that the immediate objects of perception are not the things we see around us, but impressions and ideas. The difference between impressions and ideas is the level of strength. Impressions are stronger than ideas.

At the beginning of Meditation III, Descartes has made some progress towards defeating scepticism. Using his methods of Doubt and Analysis he has regularly explored all his arguments and left those which he did not yet arrive at a conclusion for. The evil genius seeking to deceive him could not deceive him into thinking that he did not exist when in fact he did exist. Having concluded

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