Crash Course 2: Philosophy., 05b. Cartesian Skepticism - Neo, Meet Rene. Part 2/2.

05b. Cartesian Skepticism - Neo, Meet Rene. Part 2/2.

But what if ... EVERYTHING IS A DECEPTION?

What if everyone is experiencing the same false reality, from birth until death? What if nothing is as it seems, just like in The Matrix? This type of doubt, the kind you can't step out of, and thus can't check, is called global doubt.

And it's the subject of this week's Flash Philosophy. Let's go to the Thought Bubble. Philosopher Bertrand Russell illustrated the concept of global doubt with this troubling thought: What if the universe was created just five minutes ago? In this scenario, known as the Five Minute Hypothesis, the creator of the universe could have designed many elements of the world to make them appear “pre-worn,” so as to seem old.

Descartes thought it did. But as a good Catholic, he couldn't fathom a world in which God would plant globally false beliefs in all of our minds. So instead, he posited the existence of an Evil Genius, whose purpose in life was to deceive us, and who was clever enough to do it.

Descartes didn't exactly think such a being was likely to exist. But he realized there was no way to rule out his existence. And as long as an Evil Genius was possible, he worried that we were all stuck. Stuck in a radical skepticism, in which we really cannot trust any of our beliefs. Everything we believe, every sense experience, every thought, they could all have been put in our minds by the Evil Genius, who created an illusory world so seamless, we'd have no way of detecting the illusion.

Just like the machines created for the characters in The Matrix. Descartes was at the point of despair.

But then...he realized something. He had cause to doubt everything. Everything EXCEPT the fact that he was doubting. He knew he was doubting.

He could be sure of that. And if he was doubting, then he must exist – at least as a thinking thing. After all, a doubt is a thought, and if there is thought, there must be a thinker having those thoughts. So Descartes decided that he couldn't know that he had a body – what he believed to be his body could've been part of the Evil Genius' deception. But he must have had a mind, or he couldn't have been having these thoughts. This was Descartes's ah-ha moment. In his book, Meditations on First Philosophy, he declared: Cogito ergo sum.

“I think, therefore, I am.” It's one of the most famous realizations in philosophy – I cannot doubt my own existence. I can doubt everything else, but I can't doubt I am, bare minimum, a mind having thoughts. This was Descartes' foundational belief, the first belief he put back in his apple basket. And from there, he figured he could build back up to more certain beliefs. Once he was certain that he was a thinking thing, he began examining his thoughts.

And one of his most clear thoughts – what he called a clear and distinct idea – was that God exists. He gave an argument for this – which we're going to examine in a later episode. But for now, take my word for it – it's got some problems. And from there, he considered his beliefs about the physical world, and concluded that it, too, actually exists. Ultimately, he determined, God wouldn't allow him to have clear and distinct ideas that were false, without some way to detect his own error.

So, he concluded, the Evil Genius is not actually fabricating lies that consume our every waking moment. Descartes managed to reason from “cogito” all the way back up to having basically all the beliefs he started with, back in his apple basket. Which is the story of how Rene Descartes, with the power of skepticism, defeated the threat of the Evil Genius. Much like how Neo ultimately short-circuited the Matrix, though considerably less impressive to watch, I imagine.

He found certainty through his discovery of the one belief that he simply couldn't doubt – his own existence as a thinking thing. But, there is a lot of debate among philosophers as to whether Descartes actually manages to justifiably believe anything other than that he exists as a thinking thing. And we'll talk more about that more next time. This episode of Crash Course Philosophy is made possible by Squarespace.

Squarespace is a way to create a website, blog or online store for you and your ideas. Squarespace features a user-friendly interface, custom templates and 24/7 customer support. Try Squarespace at squarespace.com/crashcourse for a special offer. Crash Course Philosophy is produced in association with PBS Digital Studios.

You can head over to their channel to check out amazing shows like Deep Look, The Good Stuff, and PBS Space Time. This episode of Crash Course was filmed in the Doctor Cheryl C. Kinney Crash Course Studio with the help of all of these amazing people and our Graphics Team is Thought Cafe.

05b. Cartesian Skepticism - Neo, Meet Rene. Part 2/2. 05b. Cartesianischer Skeptizismus - Neo, triff Rene. Teil 2/2. 05b. Escepticismo cartesiano - Neo, conoce a René. Parte 2/2. 05b.デカルト的懐疑 - ネオ、ルネに会う。パート2/2. 05b. 데카르트 회의론 - 네오, 르네를 만나다. 2/2부. 05b. Kartezjański sceptycyzm - Neo, poznaj Rene. Część 2/2. 05b. Ceticismo Cartesiano - Neo, Conheça René. Parte 2/2. 05b. Картезіанський скептицизм - Нео, знайомся, Рене. Частина 2/2. 05b. 笛卡尔怀疑论 - Neo，遇见 Rene。第 2/2 部分。

But what if ... EVERYTHING IS A DECEPTION?

What if everyone is experiencing the same false reality, from birth until death? What if nothing is as it seems, just like in The Matrix? This type of doubt, the kind you can’t step out of, and thus can’t check, is called global doubt. 这种无法摆脱、因而无法遏制的怀疑被称为整体怀疑。

And it’s the subject of this week’s Flash Philosophy. 这就是本周《Flash 哲学》的主题。 Let’s go to the Thought Bubble. Philosopher Bertrand Russell illustrated the concept of global doubt with this troubling thought: What if the universe was created just five minutes ago? In this scenario, known as the Five Minute Hypothesis, the creator of the universe could have designed many elements of the world to make them appear “pre-worn,” so as to seem old.

From dinosaur bones – fashioned by the creator, and planted for us to find, to that scar on your knee – put there by the creator, along with the pre-loaded false memory of how you got it. 从恐龙骨骼（由造物主制作并留待我们发现），到你膝盖上的伤疤（由造物主留下），以及你如何获得它的预先加载的虚假记忆。 It seems crazy, but there’s just no way to prove that it isn’t the case. The question for Russell was -- does it matter?

Descartes thought it did. But as a good Catholic, he couldn’t fathom a world in which God would plant globally false beliefs in all of our minds. So instead, he posited the existence of an Evil Genius, whose purpose in life was to deceive us, and who was clever enough to do it. 因此，他假设存在一个邪恶天才，他活着的目的就是欺骗我们，并且他足够聪明来做到这一点。

Descartes didn’t exactly think such a being was likely to exist. But he realized there was no way to rule out his existence. And as long as an Evil Genius was possible, he worried that we were all stuck. E enquanto um Gênio do Mal era possível, ele se preocupava que estivéssemos todos presos. Stuck in a radical skepticism, in which we really cannot trust any of our beliefs. Preso em um ceticismo radical, no qual realmente não podemos confiar em nenhuma de nossas crenças. 陷入一种彻底的怀疑论之中，我们真的无法相信任何信仰。 Everything we believe, every sense experience, every thought, they could all have been put in our minds by the Evil Genius, who created an illusory world so seamless, we’d have no way of detecting the illusion. Tudo em que acreditamos, todas as experiências sensoriais, todos os pensamentos podem ter sido colocados em nossas mentes pelo Gênio do Mal, que criou um mundo ilusório tão perfeito que não teríamos como detectar a ilusão.

Just like the machines created for the characters in The Matrix. Assim como as máquinas criadas para os personagens de Matrix. Descartes was at the point of despair. Descartes estava à beira do desespero. 笛卡尔已经到了绝望的境地。

But then...he realized something. Mas então... ele percebeu algo. He had cause to doubt everything. Hij had reden om aan alles te twijfelen. Everything EXCEPT the fact that he was doubting. Tudo EXCETO o fato de que ele estava duvidando. He knew he was doubting. Ele sabia que estava em dúvida.

He could be sure of that. Ele poderia ter certeza disso. And if he was doubting, then he must exist – at least as a thinking thing. E se ele estava duvidando, então ele deve existir – pelo menos como uma coisa pensante. After all, a doubt is a thought, and if there is thought, there must be a thinker having those thoughts. Afinal, uma dúvida é um pensamento e, se houver pensamento, deve haver um pensador com esses pensamentos. So Descartes decided that he couldn’t know that he had a body – what he believed to be his body could’ve been part of the Evil Genius' deception. Então Descartes decidiu que não poderia saber que tinha um corpo - o que ele acreditava ser seu corpo poderia ter sido parte do engano do Gênio do Mal. But he must have had a mind, or he couldn’t have been having these thoughts. Mas ele devia ter uma mente, ou não poderia estar tendo esses pensamentos. This was Descartes’s ah-ha moment. Este foi o momento ah-ha de Descartes. 这是笛卡尔的顿悟时刻。 In his book, Meditations on First Philosophy, he declared: Cogito ergo sum. Em seu livro, Meditações sobre a Primeira Filosofia, ele declarou: Cogito ergo sum.

“I think, therefore, I am.” It’s one of the most famous realizations in philosophy – I cannot doubt my own existence. "Penso, logo existo." É uma das realizações mais famosas da filosofia – não posso duvidar da minha própria existência. I can doubt everything else, but I can’t doubt I am, bare minimum, a mind having thoughts. Posso duvidar de todo o resto, mas não posso duvidar de que sou, no mínimo, uma mente com pensamentos. 我可以怀疑其他一切，但我至少不能怀疑我是一个有思想的头脑。 This was Descartes' foundational belief, the first belief he put back in his apple basket. Essa foi a crença fundamental de Descartes, a primeira crença que ele colocou de volta em sua cesta de maçãs. And from there, he figured he could build back up to more certain beliefs. E a partir daí, ele percebeu que poderia voltar a ter crenças mais certas. 从那时起，他认为他可以重建更加坚定的信念。 Once he was certain that he was a thinking thing, he began examining his thoughts. Assim que teve certeza de que era uma coisa pensante, começou a examinar seus pensamentos.

And one of his most clear thoughts – what he called a clear and distinct idea – was that God exists. E um de seus pensamentos mais claros – o que ele chamava de ideia clara e distinta – era que Deus existe. He gave an argument for this – which we’re going to examine in a later episode. Ele deu um argumento para isso – que vamos examinar em um episódio posterior. But for now, take my word for it – it’s got some problems. Mas, por enquanto, acredite em mim - tem alguns problemas. And from there, he considered his beliefs about the physical world, and concluded that it, too, actually exists. E a partir daí, ele considerou suas crenças sobre o mundo físico e concluiu que ele também existe. Ultimately, he determined, God wouldn’t allow him to have clear and distinct ideas that were false, without some way to detect his own error. Em última análise, ele determinou, Deus não permitiria que ele tivesse ideias claras e distintas que fossem falsas, sem alguma maneira de detectar seu próprio erro.

So, he concluded, the Evil Genius is not actually fabricating lies that consume our every waking moment. Então, ele concluiu, o Gênio do Mal não está realmente fabricando mentiras que consomem todos os nossos momentos de vigília. Descartes managed to reason from “cogito” all the way back up to having basically all the beliefs he started with, back in his apple basket. Descartes conseguiu raciocinar desde o “cogito” até ter basicamente todas as crenças com as quais começou, de volta à sua cesta de maçãs. Which is the story of how Rene Descartes, with the power of skepticism, defeated the threat of the Evil Genius. Que é a história de como René Descartes, com o poder do ceticismo, derrotou a ameaça do Gênio do Mal. Much like how Neo ultimately short-circuited the Matrix, though considerably less impressive to watch, I imagine. Muito parecido com o modo como Neo acabou causando um curto-circuito na Matrix, embora consideravelmente menos impressionante de assistir, imagino.

He found certainty through his discovery of the one belief that he simply couldn’t doubt – his own existence as a thinking thing. But, there is a lot of debate among philosophers as to whether Descartes actually manages to justifiably believe anything other than that he exists as a thinking thing. Sin embargo, los filósofos debaten mucho sobre si Descartes puede llegar a creer justificadamente en algo más que en su existencia como ser pensante. And we’ll talk more about that more next time. This episode of Crash Course Philosophy is made possible by Squarespace.