Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy
Descartes' Archimedean point is "I think, therefore I am," although the phrasing for that principle is not to be found in Meditations on First Philosophy, but in one of his earlier works. However, he arrives at the same conclusion in Meditation II, which focuses on the fact that the human mind is more easily known than the human body. In order to understand the significance of his point, which is that, if he is thinking, he must exist, it is important to understand what theories he rejects prior to that point, and the great things he discovers from that starting point. Therefore, the concept that thought equals existence is both a conclusion for Descartes and a beginning point. In Meditation I, Descartes begins by looking at those basic assumptions that he has taken as truths, and wondering which of those he can call into doubt. He comes to the conclusion that he has to cease believing in these assumptions, if he can find a reason to doubt is present opinions. Instead of seeking to demolish each of these individual opinions, Descartes decides that he can call them all into doubt if he can doubt their basic foundations and principles. Therefore, he asks himself how he came to learn of the assumptions he has equated with
He is certain that he thinks, therefore, he is certain that he exists. He knows that he cannot trust his senses, and also that he cannot trust his imagination. However, he comes to the conclusion that even if his will may not impact these ideas, that does not necessarily mean that they come from outside of him. Therefore, for one to think, one necessarily exists. Descartes rejects the ideas that that he conceived of God through negation, or that he is sufficiently perfect to believe in a perfect character, like God. The result is that God himself must be the creator of the idea of God, which means that God must exist. However, Descartes eventually discards his notion that simple things are beyond doubt, because both the existence and the non-existence of God would argue for the possibility of deception. He reasons that whatever he perceives clearly and distinctly, without the use of his senses, like his belief in his own existence, must be true. Though he acknowledges that his senses can deceive him and that insane people are frequently deceived by their senses, he comes to the overall conclusion that generally ones senses relay true information. Using the example of a honeycomb, he also decides that he cannot rely upon his senses to determine the existence of something, since a melted honeycomb's physical properties all change, yet it remains a honeycomb. He resolves to look at ideas, not as reflections of the outside world, but only as modes of thought that do not reflect anything outside of the mind. Therefore, he concludes that he cannot doubt the basic elemental units of sensory experience, like shape or size. On the contrary, he recognizes that he thinks, understands, wills, imagines, and senses. Descartes determines that there are three types of ideas: innate, adventitious, and invented.
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