JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

This article examines Descartes' methodic doubt in his search for certainty and his eventual discovery of 'cogito ergo sum' (I think, therefore I am), which he accepted as the indubitable truth and foundation of his philosophy. Rene Descartes, a systematic and ordered thinker in the modern period of philosophy, employed methodic doubt in his search for certain truth. The basic questions are: How did Descartes employ methodic doubt in his search for certain truth? How did he eventually arrive at cogito ergo sum? Is there any relationship between Descartes' methodic doubt and cogito ergo sum? What are Descartes' characteristics or determinants of truth? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Descartes' ideas? These and other allied issues are the major concern of this article. Employing analytical and critical methods of philosophical investigation, this study examines Descartes' ideas. The researcher discovered that despite the contributions of Descartes, there are problems associated with his ideas. However, the innovations and contributions of Descartes in the domain of epistemology far outweigh such problems. This article concludes that Descartes is a renowned scholar in philosophy and has played indispensable roles in the development of modern epistemology in particular, and philosophy in general.