A Discourse of a Method for the Well Guiding of Reason: and the Discovery of Truth in the SciencesDescartes, René
PhilosophyPhilosophy
A Discourse of a Method for the Well Guiding of Reason: and the Discovery of Truth in the Sciences
Descartes, René
Methodology; Science -- Methodology
I had particularly enough expounded all these things in a Treatise which
I formerly had design'd to publish: In pursuit whereof, I had therein
shewed what ought to be the fabrick of the nerves and muscles of an
humane body, to cause those animall spirits which were in them, to have
the power to move those members. As we see that heads a while after they
are cut off, yet move of themselves, and bite the ground, although they
are not then animated. What changes ought to be made in the brain to
cause waking, sleeping, and dreaming: how light, sounds, smels, tasts,
heat, and all other qualities of exteriour objects, might imprint
severall _Ideas_ by means of the senses. How hunger and thirst, and the
other interiour passions might also send theirs thither. What ought to
be taken therein for common sense, where these _Ideas_ are received; for
memory which preserves them; and for fancy, which can diversly change
them, and form new ones of them; and by the same means, distributing the
animal spirits into the muscles, make the members of the body move in so
many severall fashions, and as fitly to those objects which present
themselves to its senses; and to the interiour passions which are in
them, as ours may move themselves without the consent of the Wil. Which
wil seem nothing strange to those, who knowing how many _Automatas_ or
moving Machines the industry of men can make, imploying but very few
pieces, in comparison of the great abundance of bones, muscles, nerves,
arteries, veins, and all the other parts which are in the body of every
Animal, will consider this body as a fabrick, which having been made by
the hands of God, is incomparably better ordered, and hath more
admirable motions in it then any of those which can be invented by men.
And herein I particularly insisted, to make it appear, that if there
were such Machines which had organs, and the exteriour figure of an Ape,
or of any other unreasonable creature, we should finde no means of
knowing them not to be altogether of the same nature as those Animals:
whereas, if there were any which resembled our bodies, and imitated our
actions as much as morally it were possible, we should always have two
most certain ways to know, that for all that they were not reall men:
The first of which is, that they could never have the use of speech, nor
of other signes in framing it, as we have, to declare our thoughts to
others: for we may well conceive, that a Machine may be so made, that it
may utter words, and even some proper to the corporal actions, which
may cause some change in its organs; as if we touch it in some part, and
it should ask what we would say; or so as it might cry out that one
hurts it, and the like: but not that they can diversifie them to answer
sensibly to all what shall be spoken in its presence, as the dullest men
may do. And the second is, That although they did divers things aswel,
or perhaps better, then any of us, they must infallibly fail in some
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