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. . . Philosophy Built On Wax
[Or: Reality is NOT What U Perceive]
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So the Great Doubter sayeth to himself:
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"All these philosophies of yesteryear claim to show us knowledge of
very many things, but the conclusions of their reasonings are not
knowledge at all, but merely opinion, for their truths lack the rigor and
clarity of mathematics. Therefore all their works are lacking in true
knowledge; for true knowledge must be simple and clear to the point
of absolute certainty, so as to be incapable of being doubted. Away with
them all then, and let us begin anew! Let us build philosophy upon firm
foundations of certainty and reliable knowledge. Let us begin by doubting
everything; and then admit only that which has passed the test of doubt.
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"What, then, can we really know about the world? Can we trust in our
senses to give us accurate information about all the things in the world?
Look at this funny lump of wax here on my table. Now it is cold and hard
and solid as a rock. But when I apply a little heat to it, it becomes warm
and soft and pliable as dough. And when I apply even more heat it
becomes a liquid; clear and smelly and too hot to handle. What then do
my senses tell me about the nature of wax? That it is hot and cold, soft
and hard, solid and liquid, colorless and colorful, odorless and stinky.
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“Clearly this is most absurd; a contradiction of terms that makes no
logical sense whatsoever! Therefore our senses are ultimately unreliable
and incapable of providing us with true knowledge about the world.
Therefore only Reason can provide our minds with the true knowledge
that we need. And the most basic truth that escapes all doubt is the fact
of my own personal awareness, and the fact that this awareness (ie. this
‘I’ thingy) is now doubting and reasoning: … I think, therefore I am!”
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Now the most curious thing about Descartes’ new method of philosophy
is the strange way in which he dismisses the senses as a source of
reliable information about the world. Please note that he uses the
experimental and empirical method (so beloved by science), such that
he could just as easily have said, ‘I observe, therefore I am’ (ie.
observing is logically prior to thinking and reasoning about what you
observe).
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Thus Descartes observes the wax as it moves from one physical
condition to the next in response to external forces being directed upon
it (ie. fire). He very carefully observes these changing states and
conditions of the wax, and the sensory data / information that they
provide, and then concludes that because wax behaves so irrationally
(by providing contradictory sensory data) that our senses cannot be
trusted. In other words, Descartes relies upon the accuracy of sense
perception to show that the senses are unreliable! Apparently this
little contradiction, this little logical inconsistency, this minor wrench in
the gears (as it were) was beyond, or perhaps beneath, his notice. 
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P.S. . . . i am … therefore i think!
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