Explain what is the content and the method of the Descartesian deconstruction, and explain the three steps of his deconstruction.
The goal of Descartes' Meditation is to give a new foundation to science, because if the foundation is unstable the house of sciences might be in danger. For this goal he uses the method of methodological doubt, this means that he rejects something as false if it has we have the slightest doubt about its truth. At the same time, he wants to find the foundation as efficiently as possible so that he does not criticize everything. Instead, he systematically attacks the most basic foundations.
The deconstruction follows three steps:
1) He attacks the senses because they seem to be most important for research. The senses, however, just give us knowledge from induction that means they only give us probably knowledge about objects. Since they, however, have deceived us already they cannot be trusted.
Transition: Even though the senses have deceived us, Descartes tries to argue that the images in our head might have been perceived by a transformation. The senses transform a presupposed real object outside of us so that we have an image in our head. If we understand this mechanism, we might be able to infer back to the real object. This is called a metaphysical realism.
2) Descartes rejects also this position, because our images might not have been caused by something outside, but they are the results of our imagination as if we only dream them. So he also rejects this foundation.
Transition to 3: Even though we could be dreaming, dreams, however, must be built on elements. We do not invent all of our dreams. So that these elements could be assumed to be real.
3) Descartes rejects this idea, because these elements could have been put by an evil demon into our mind. So we know them by convention and don't know whether they are really true. Because he has the slightest doubt he also rejects them as a foundation.
8 Minutes.
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