Question

Argue to show how Descartes dream argument philosophical basis for the illegality of instant justice

Answer 1

In most countries, particularly in democracies, there is a clear process through which people are able to access justice. When a crime is committed, we generally follow an established path to deal with it, which includes an arrest, a trial, and eventually a legal punishment. Because of these necessary steps, justice takes a while, and it is rarely instant. Some people believe this to be a problem, and argue that justice should be achieved instantly in order for it to be effective.

One of the problems of such approach is the fact that in order to achieve immediate justice, we need to be sure of the circumstances surrounding a criminal situation. Yet, we often have very little understanding of our reality, including the events that surround a criminal situation. Descartes argued that we cannot even rely on our senses fully, as our senses believe dreams to be real. As we cannot trust our knowledge of reality fully, we also cannot presume to know a situation without examining it. This flawed knowledge of reality makes us unable to access instant justice.