Descartes' Meditations

Rene Descartes, in his Meditations on First Philosophy endeavors to resolve the most enduring philosophical questions ever to challenge man, namely: Do I exist? And: Does God exist? His second and third meditations, translated by Donald A. Cress, deal specifically with these queries. Ultimately, Descartes determines that he cannot doubt the existence of either himself or of God.

"Meditation Two" aims to assuage any doubt that the author does indeed exist. Descartes begins this process by forgoing the existence of all things that his "deceitful memory represents ever existed" (Cress, 1998, p. 63). In this, he abandons the senses and the body, reducing his sphere of knowledge to contain only the fact that nothing is certain. Essentially, Descartes must persuade himself that there is nothing in the world: "no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies" (Cress, 1998, p. 64).

From this, can he then possibly deduce that he does not exist? The answer to this seemingly simple question is a resounding "no". He must exist, for the very act of persuading oneself of some notion (even if that notion is that nothing exists), indicates that there does (and must) exist a self that can be persuaded. Descartes admits that it is possible that his meditation may be the product of a grand deception, that it is possible that a supremely powerful being is perpetually and deliberately deceiving him. Therefore, his contentions may be false. However, that he his capable of conceiving of hi

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n, or feelings as from a fire- do not in fact originate from him; they are not "his ideas". Nor, of course, do they depend upon his will. Whether or not he opts to feel heat, for example, he will feel it if a fire is present (Cress, 1998, p. 72). Essentially, there must be a cause for each effect that is perceived by a thinking, sensing being. And, if an individual is not the cause, then there must be some other entity at play. Regardless what kind of entity, certain properties must be adhered to. Basically, an effect (for example: heat) must get its reality from a cause (for example: a flame). From this, Descartes logically deduces that a cause cannot give a reality to an effect if it does not also possess that reality itself. In this, "it follows that something cannot come into being out of nothing" and "what is more perfect� cannot come into being from what is less perfect" (Cress, 1998, p. 73). This notion applies to ideas as well as objects. And, as with Descartes' justification that he exists, so too he uses thought to justify the existence of God as well. His ability to conceive of God is very relevant to the existence of God. Because Descartes can understand "by the name 'God' a certain substance that is inf

Category: Philosophy - D