Ana-Maria Amza History of Ideas 13th November 2013

Meditations on First Philosophy Ren Descartes

Meditations on First Philosophy = a personal diary tracing his journey from the despair of doubt to the peace of certainty Meditation I (skeptical doubts Of the things which may be brought within the sphere of the doubtful. The Meditator doubts foundations and the basic princip es upon !hich his opinions are founded" This doubt is 1" emp oyed as a po!erfu too a#ainst Aristote ian phi osophy" 2" the foundation of modern s$epticism" %verythin# !e $no! is based on senses& ' senses can deceive" His ()ream Ar#ument* su##ests+ The universa possibi ity of dreamin# ,thou#h there is a !a$in# e-perience& I can never $no! !hich moments are dreams ' !hich are !a$in#. The possibi ity of a universa dream ,the entire ife is a dream ' there is no !a$in# !or d. The senses are not a !ays ' !ho y re iab e His (%vi )emon Ar#ument* su##ests that a !e $no! is fa se ' !e cannot trust our senses one bit" This comes from the idea that /od is supreme y #ood ' !ou d not ead him to be ieve fa se y" 0o if not /od& but some evi demon deceives him so that everythin# he thin$s he $no!s is fa se" )escates1 doubt is a methodo o#ica ' rationa doubt" formin# s$eptica the rationa ity hypotheses motivates ,methodic doubts. his doubt

The #enera form of these ar#uments+ If I am dreaming!decei"ed# then my beliefs are unreliable$ Meditation II Of the Nature of the Human Mind; and that it is more easily known the Body. The Meditator ays out a pattern ,2 steps. of thou#ht ,representationa ism. in response to the doubts for!arded in Meditation I: 3e have access to on y the !or d of ideas4 thin#s are accessed on y indirect y4 These ideas inc ude a the contents of the mind ,e"#" perceptions& ima#es& memories& concepts& intentions& decisions etc".4 Ideas ' the thin#s they represent are separate from each other4 These represented thin#s are (e-terna * to the mind4 These ideas can constitute an accurate or a fa se representation 5ne1s consciousness imp ies one1s e-istence 6indin# out !hat *I* is ,not by #ivin# definitions i$e rational animal& but by a se f-evident truth+ a thinking thing that doubts! understands! affirms! denies! wills has mental images. (3a- Ar#ument* 7 distinction bet!een ordinary perception ' "udgment ,!hen !e see somethin#& neither our senses nor our ima#ination te s us !hat it is& but our inte ect. 8onc usion+ the mind is far better $no!er than the body ' !e $no! our mind far better than other thin#s" %onclusion In the first t!o Meditations& the Meditator tries to sho! that he is not on y somethin# that thin$s& understands& ' !i s but he is a so somethin# that ima#ines ' senses" After a & he may be dreamin# or deceived by an evi demon but he can sti ima#ine thin#s& ' he sti seems to hear ' see thin#s" His sensory perceptions may not be vertica but they are certain y a part of the same mind that thin$s"