ACRITICAL EXAMINATION OFTHE VERACITY OF INDUBITABLE KNOWLEDGE IN DESCARTES' EPISTEMOLOGY

Abstract

Human beings are imbued with the curiosity to know. This curiosity spurred the ancient philosophers to search for the nal and irreducible constituent of things. The search gradually extended to creating epistemological challenges such as scepticism- the idea that the attainment of knowledge is not possible. However, the reality of everyday life coupled with advances in human society across the various elds of human endeavour suggest that the attainment of knowledge is feasible. The shift from the geocentric to the heliocentric conception of the planetary system, the tower of Pisa's experiment against Aristotle's principle of falling objects amongst others have also received a high degree of certainty. Descartes, attracted by these events and the position of philosophers before him on the quest for certainty in knowledge undertook an epistemological drive aimed at the possibility of attaining indubitable knowledge. Thus, Scepticism formed the background for Descartes' epistemology. This work therefore, critically examines the assertions of Descartes in refuting the claims of the sceptics as it pertains to the veracity of indubitable knowledge. The work concludes by averring that the attainment of indubitable knowledge within the limit of the regularity that exists in nature is feasible. A critical expository method is adopted in this study.