onsiders to be) indubitable premises in an attempt to reach an equally indubitable conclusion.
             In his first Meditation, Descartes begins by examining what we 'acquire either from the senses or through the senses', drawing the conclusion that our senses can be illusory and deceptive, and therefore should not be trusted. Next, he argues that even if our perceptions seem correct, there is nothing to say that we are not in a dream or suffering from a delusion of some sort. He writes: '...there are never any sure signs by means of which being awake can be distinguished from being asleep.' Finally, Descartes argues that it is possible that there is 'some malicious demon of the utmost power', whose intention is 'to deceive me', therefore rendering questionable all of the things we take to be true.
             All of my beliefs are derived from sense, authority and reason. Because beliefs derived from sense, authority and reason may be false, it is therefore fair to infer that some or all of my beliefs may be false. From this, Descartes leaves us with the implicit suggestion that we should doubt all of our beliefs. Based on this Scepticism in the first Meditation, we are left in the realm of uncertainty. Seemingly, we cannot 'know' anything for certain, as there is always a way in which we could be wrong.
             Yet Descartes escapes this scepticism in his second Meditation. He contends that there is one belief that cannot be false; the belief that I exist. To think 'I do not exist' is both self-defeating and paradoxical, thus we can conclude that because I am thinking, I must exist. Existence is a necessary prerequisite for thought, as my thinking would be impossible without my existence; I could not think if I did not exist. Whilst my thoughts may be fallacious, the very fact that I am thinking now means that I must exist. This seems to be a very strong argument and has become known as t...