more from René Descartes

Single Idea 5360

[catalogued under 11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 5. Cogito Critique]

Full Idea

It might be that the something which sees a brown colour is quite momentary, and not the same thing which has some different experience the next moment.

Gist of Idea

The thing which experiences may be momentary, and change with the next experience

Source

comment on René Descartes (Meditations [1641], §2.26) by Bertrand Russell - Problems of Philosophy Ch.2

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.8


A Reaction

This has become one of the standard objections to the Cogito. Note that Descartes himself was aware of the problem (Idea 1400). Sometimes experiences make no sense if there isn't something connecting them to previous experiences.

Related Idea

Idea 1400 Some cause must unite the separate temporal sections of a person [Descartes]