One aspect of Descartes’ Discourse on Method that struck me as
inconsistent was his view on singular thought versus collaboration. In part
two, he says, “There is often not as much perfection in works composed of many
pieces and made by the hands of various master craftsmen as there is in those
works on which but a single individual has worked” (51). In this passage, and
in the following analogy of singularly made buildings, he seems to be saying
that the best sort of thought is that which occurs in solitude. The best ideas
are those produced by one person with no input from anyone else.
However, he
then goes on to say how experience is the best teacher, “Book learning…does not
draw nearly so close to the truth as the simple reasonings that a man of good
sense can naturally make about the things he encounters” (51). In my mind, for
knowledge to be constructed in this manner, one would have to come into contact
with various people and their ideas. Thus, one would naturally have to
collaborate with others regarding differing opinions about things every once in
awhile. Many meaningful experiences occur in social settings. It doesn’t appear
to me that one can produce ideas in this solitary manner while Descartes
advocates while being led supremely by experience. I’m still in the process of
working out how these two practices can work together.
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