Descartes says we cannot trust our senses. I understand that our senses are not always right, but if everyone’s senses were wrong, how would we ever know that our senses failed us in the first place--how would we know that we could not trust our senses? Sure we sometimes think we see things that aren’t really there, but afterward we are able to figure out that these things were not real. Through some combination of senses and logic, we get a pretty good picture of the world in our brains.
And if our senses are so flawed, and we can only know our sensory perceptions as they are translated in our brains, how is it that thoughts may serve to prove existence? Our senses are processed in the brain, and our thoughts are a result of our brain, so why is it that we trust our brains on one account but not the other?
If there were a “malin génie” pumping falsities into our heads, why would he even allow us to think he might exist? It would be illogical for someone who wants to control all of our thoughts to allow us to know we’re being controlled.
I don’t think there is any way for Descartes to be certain that we must doubt our senses or our daily lives. In fact, I also don’t think Descartes has any way to be certain about anything he claims. What does he argue makes him capable of certainty in his thoughts? God’s existence. And how does he know God exists? Because he is certain of it.
Unless I’m missing something, Descartes’ argument would seem a lot better to me if his premises were stronger.
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