I Am Perceived, Therefore I am

Transcription

1 I Am Perceived, Therefore I am By MARIA RYBAKOVA He wanted to dream a man: he wanted to dream him completely, in painstaking detail, and impose him upon reality. - Jorge Luis Borges, The Circular Ruins In his story, The Circular Ruins, Jorge Luis Borges portrays a narrator who attempts the magical project of dreaming a man; a project that fill[s] his entire soul and erases his own name and any feature of his life till then. 1 The implication of Borges story is that sensory perception is essential to existence and extension in space and time. This is contrary to René Descartes famous Dreaming Doubt in Meditation I of Meditations on First Philosophy. Descartes Dreaming Doubt questions the possibility of truth in sensual perception to ultimately isolate body and mind and establish thinking illusory or not as the only evidence of existence. At first glance, it appears as though Borges story is parallel to Descartes belief of existence through rational thought. Before Descartes brings up the Dreaming Doubt he first attacks the principles upon which his former knowledge is founded through a critique of the senses. He states that, [a]ll that up to the present time [he has] accepted as most true and certain [he has] either learned from the senses or through the senses, 1 Jorge Luis Borges. The Circular Ruins, in Jorge Luis Borges: Collected Fictions, trans. Andrew Hurley (New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 1998), 97.!1

2 but that his senses are deceptive and should not be entirely trusted. 2 Descartes establishes this deception through a critique of the perception of his own bodily presence. He brings into example his sitting by the fire in his dressing gown with a piece of paper in his hands, a presence which he initially says he can t deny because he knows that he is not devoid of sense. 3 However, in considering that he has dreamed himself in that very position, Descartes is lead to the Dreaming Doubt itself. Similarly, Borges character in The Circular Ruins dreams a man whose bodily existence is illusory, exhibited when the dreamed man is able to walk through fire without burning. What this event, upon first reading, seems to reveal in The Circular Ruins is that the dreamed man is no different from the dreamer, just as Descartes discovers that his wakeful experience of sitting by the fire is indistinguishable from his dream of himself in the same instance. As Borges writes, [h]e walked into the tatters of flame. But they did not bite his flesh they caressed him, bathed him without heat and without combustion. With relief, with humiliation, with terror, he realized that he, too, was but appearance, that another man was dreaming him. 4 2 René Descartes. Meditations on First Philosophy, in Descartes: Key Philosophical Writings, trans. Elizabeth S. Haldane and G.R.T. Ross (Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1997), Ibid., The Circular Ruins, 100.!2

3 Thus, similar to the impossibility of Borges burn-less fire, Descartes disputes sensual certainty through the universal possibility of dreaming 5 that will serve as the basis of a disembodied proof of existence. After reading Descartes we lose the value of senses and perception and are left with only intellect and reason as a basis of existence. However, by analyzing Cartesian disembodiment through a linking of Borges and George Berkeley we discover how sensory perception is not only introduced, but is also essential to existence, as it is the very thing that the human body is limited to when the matter of extension is involved. Furthermore, as an empiricist Berkeley believes that the only experience one can have is a sensory experience and that one can only exist through the perception of another. Upon further examination, we find that Borges story illustrates this point effectively and links imagination to sensual experience and, ultimately, existence to counter Descartes disembodied rational theory. Borges repeats the term taciturn in his descriptions of the man and the disaffected students to expose the importance of sensory experience over rational thought. The first description he uses is in regard to the main character when he refers to 5 Descartes brings up that he could be experiencing either the universal possibility of dreaming or the possibility of universal dreaming, eventually realizing that the former is the answer to his dilemma, as the difference between them is that the former is the possibility of having waking moments and moments of dreaming, but not being able to distinguish between either; while the latter is the belief that everything is just a dream and that there are no moments of wakefulness. Descartes then argues that the latter cannot be the right answer because he realizes that the exact moment that he is experiencing cannot be a dream because dreams aren t as clear as what he experiences. Thus, he states that he knows he is not sleeping at that moment. See Meditations on First Philosophy, 135.!3

4 him as the taciturn 6 man [that] had come there from the South. 7 Later it becomes evident that the man has a hard time beginning his project because he relies solely on rationality. Further use of the term occurs when Borges describes the pupils that the man is trying to teach by referring to them as clouds of taciturn students 8 that listened earnestly, intently, and attempted to respond with understanding as though they sensed the importance of that education that would redeem one of them from his state of hollow appearance and insert him into the real world 9 (here Borges shows that the students can only think rationally and therefore have a hard time understanding what the man is trying to teach them). Furthermore, Borges reveals that the man is bothered by this and [does] not allow himself to be taken in by imposters, and he [senses] in certain perplexities a growing intelligence. He [is] seeking a soul worthy of taking its place in the universe. 10 Borges uses the term one more time, when describing the single pupil that the man decides to work with, after dismissing the rest of the student body. One could view both the initial taciturn nature of the students and the man as linked to Descartes rejection to sensory perception, as they have a hard time letting go of rationality. 6 Different translations from Borges original text use either silent or taciturn. However, in his original Spanish text, he uses the term taciturno, proving taciturn to be a more literal translation The Circular Ruins, 96. Ibid., 97. Ibid., As we will see later this worthiness will come from perception and sensual experience. Ibid., 97.!4

5 Borges counters his constant use of the term taciturn by attaching moments of vivid imagery every time he uses it to emphasize the significance of sensory perception over rational thought. When he first describes the man, he contrasts his taciturn state with the graphic detail of how the man [kisses] the mud and how the sharp-leaved bulrushes [slash] his flesh. 11 He utilizes such contrast again in the description of the students when he mentions that the features of the students are completely precise. 12 Lastly, Borges uses imagery to describe the taciturn pupil that the man decides to keep, as he is a sallow-skinned young man, at times intractable, with sharp features that [echo] those of the man. 13 Borges use of imagery in opposition to the use of taciturnity is prominent in showing how sensory perception is key to existence, as the vibrant images appear to hold more importance and liveliness than the dullness of the silence in the characters. 14 Berkeley s main belief is that one exists through the perception of another. He goes on stating that it is not possible for something to have any existence out of the minds or thinking things which perceive them. 15 Furthermore, Berkeley believes that if 11 Ibid., This can be understood as the man being able to use his sensual perception to see how vivid the students appear. 13 The Circular Ruins, This is similar to David Hume s empiricist belief that impressions are livelier and hold more importance than abstract ideas (considered to be dull), lending more emphasis on the idea that sensory perception holds more importance than rational thought. See David Hume. A Treatise on Human Nature, in Readings in Modern Philosophy, Volume II: Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Associated Texts, ed. Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2000), George Berkeley. Principles of Human Knowledge, Part I, Ibid., 139.!5

6 a body is not actually perceived by [him] or [does] not exist in [his] mind or that of any other created spirit, 16 [it] must either have no existence at all or else subsist in the mind of some eternal spirit. 17 This belief is illustrated in Borges story when the man wants to dream a man and insert him into reality. There is also mention of the creation of Adam 18 in the story, which Borges uses as a comparison to the dreamed man. 19 Moreover, the man in the story realizes that if he does not go to (or in this case perceive) the dreamed man, the latter will not exist; 20 parallel to Berkeley s aforementioned belief. Borges story displays Berkeley s principle and counters Descartes belief that rational thought is essential proof of existence by using sensory experience and imagery as necessary to such existence. Towards the end of Borges story the man begins to experience moments of déjà vu, where he starts to (disturbingly) feel that his pursuance of the project has happened before 21 and, indubitably, we see that in the end the man realizes that he, himself, is 16 Berkeley refers to spirits as those that perceive. See Harry M. Bracken, Bayle, Berkeley, and Hume, Eighteenth-Century Studies Vol.11, No.2 (Winter, ): Here eternal spirit is a reference to God. Principles of Human Knowledge, Part I, See Sarah Lawall et al., ed., Genesis 2, in The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Volume A (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002), The Circular Ruins, 99. Ibid., We begin to get moments in the story where similar instances occur between the man and his dreamed creation. Ibid., !6

7 dreamt by another. 22 In his article Bayle, Berkeley, and Hume critic Harry M. Bracken argues that Berkeley believed that our experiences were dual and that this duality resulted in a perceiver and a perceived. 23 In addition, Bracken claims that the spirit 24 is a necessary condition for the perception of succession, 25 which explains why the man experiences déjà vu and later realizes that he is no different from the dreamed man. Thus, this Berkeleyan concept of succession as it is enacted in the dual existence of Borges man as perceiver and perceived disputes Descartes notion that thought is the only proof of existence by insinuating that sensory impression is key in perception and, moreover, in existence. This dilemma between Berkeley and Descartes via Borges The Circular Ruins is perhaps best exemplified by Borges treatment of the concept of simulacrum toward the end of his story. In many ways the differences between Descartes and Berkeley s philosophical considerations of existence can be seen in the two differing viewpoints of simulacrum itself. Towards the end of his text, the sensorial issue of the question of existence is posed by Borges as an issue of simulacrum when the man becomes worried that the dreamed man would meditate upon his unnatural privilege 26 and somehow discover that he was a mere simulacrum. 27 The use of this term is important because it Ibid., 100. Bayle, Berkeley, and Hume, 233. The perceiver. Here succession is regarded as the inheritance of a quality or property. Ibid., 233. The ability to walk through fire unharmed. 27 The Circular Ruins, 100.!7

8 brings to bear both Berkeley and Descartes difficulty between distinguishing what constitutes as existence. From an initial and intellectual perspective, the debate of the simulacrum is the debate over what is sensorially experienced and what is real. However, at the end of Borges story, though the man is using rational thought to understand existence, he learns that it doesn t matter what is real and what isn t because sensory experience is what truly defines existence, as it is the only thing he has to experience perception. This is made evident when he walks through the flames; though unharmed, he still feels them caressing his body. Furthermore, the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy states that simulation is the view that our understanding of others is not gained by the tacit use of a theory [ ] Understanding others is achieved when we ourselves deliberate as they did. 28 This definition works with the empiricist belief that we can only understand things through sensory experience and that use of thought is not enough to determine our existence, contradicting Descartes principle of rational thought being the sole foundation for proof of existence. Thus, when Borges character walks into the flames, it is only rational to believe that if they don t harm him, that he does not exist. However, despite the fact that they irrationally do not harm him, he still feels them, proving that he is having a sensory experience and that he exists after all. In Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy we are introduced to the Cartesian notion that we should abandon anything that deceives us, particularly the senses, and, moreover, that rational thought serves as the main justification for existence. However, 28 Simon Blackburn, Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994).!8

9 empiricists share the belief that knowledge can only come from sensory experience. Furthermore, Berkeley introduces us to the belief that our existence is determined through perception by others. Perception, as we know, can only be achieved sensorially. Borges story The Circular Ruins serves as a prototype for Berkeley s principle, as it illustrates how one puts another into existence by perceiving him through the senses and returns the body into existence by means of sensory imagination. This is contrary to Descartes disembodied rational theory because by abandoning the senses he is disconnecting the body from the mind and is implying that the body itself is not proof of existence. However, our sensory experience is the very thing that our body is limited to and is the thing that brings us into existence, and allows for the possibility of thought. Also, it is paralleled by the empiricist belief that reason alone does not give us any knowledge and that knowledge can only be gained, if at all, through experience Peter Markie, Rationalism vs. Empiricism, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition),

10 References: Berkeley, George Principles of Human Knowledge. In Readings in Modern Philosophy, Volume II: Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Associated Texts, ed. Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Borges, Jorge Luis The Circular Ruins. In Jorge Luis Borges: Collected Fictions, trans. Andrew Hurley, New York: Penguin Putnam Inc. Bracken, Harry M Bayle, Berkeley, and Hume. Eighteenth-Century Studies Vol.11, No.2: Descartes, René Meditations on First Philosophy. In Descartes: Key Philosophical Writings, trans. Elizabeth S. Haldane and G.R.T. Ross, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited. Hume, David A Treatise on Human Nature. In Readings in Modern Philosophy, Volume II: Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Associated Texts, ed. Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.!10

11 References, continued: Lawall, Sarah, Jerome Wright Clinton, Bernard M.W. Knox, and Maynard Mack ed Genesis. In The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Volume A. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Markie, Peter. Rationalism vs. Empiricism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition). Simon Blackburn Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.! 11