Term Papers on Descartes Vs. Pascal

Term Paper Title	Descartes Vs. Pascal
# of Words	1101
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.4

Descartes vs. Pascal

     For centuries, human beings have been debating over the validity of the
use of reason.  This is a very, very difficult subject to discuss, as one is
forced to study something which is at that moment being used in their study.
Two classic thinkers who contrasted on their view of reason were Descartes and
Pascal.  Though both saw reason as the primary source of knowledge, they
disagreed over the competence of human reason.  Descartes, the skeptic, said
that we could use reason to find certain truth if we used it correctly, while
Pascal said that we can't know certain truth, but reason is the best source of
knowledge that we have.

Descartes:
     Reason is the tool by which we know everything that we know.  But most
people make the mistake of basing their reasoning on assumptions which are not
known with 100% certainty.  As I've said, “I am greatly astonished when I
consider [the great feebleness of mind] and its proneness to fall [insensibly]
into error” (K&B, p. 409).  But it is possible to avoid falling into error if we
use the valuable tool of reason correctly.  In order to do this and find
certainty, we must find something that we cannot doubt.  This is impossible, as
we can logically doubt anything.  A certain truth must be something that is not
logically possible to be false.
     We must doubt, as that is the only way to find certain truth.  It is the
only way to wipe the slate clean of all of the uncertain assumptions which are
believed and taught in the universities today.  Just as mathematics will lead to
uncertain assumptions if it is not built on certain truths, so will all use of
reason lead to uncertain assumptions if it is not built on certain truths.
There is a way to use doubt, though, to find certainty.  If 100% certainty
equals 0% doubt and we are certain that we can doubt everything, then we can use
doubt as our certainty.  We cannot doubt that we are doubting.
     With our one certainty, we can now methodically use reason to find more
certainties.  For example, we can use the certainty “I am doubting” to find out
that “I exist.”  If I am doubting, than there must be an “I” who is doubting,
which means that I must be.  Like I've often said, “I think, therefore I am.”
We can continue building on our certainties using rational reasoning.  Now that
we know that we exist, we can logically deduce that our ideas also exist.  If
our ideas exist, then something has caused them to exist.  This is a very useful
step, because I can take my idea that a perfect being (God) exists.  Since this
idea is greater than myself, there must be a perfect being who has caused this
idea in me.  Continuing on, if there is a perfect God, than I can logically
deduce that a perfect being would not give me a deceptive faculty.  If we do not
have deceptive faculties, than we can know for certain that we can trust our
senses with certainty.
     The certainties that I have arrived at by starting with the one
certainty can be known with complete certainty because they were arrived at
using rational, logical reasoning.  It is true that we can doubt that God exists,
yet this skepticism is superseded by rationality.  We used a rational argument
which is based upon certainties; therefore, we know with 100% certainty that God
exists.

Pascal:
     Rene ...

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