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Philosophy Descartes
Philosophy Descartes
determining what is certain within his reality. “Meditation One” concluded that it is
possible for everything to be a deception and perhaps non-existent, including his own
body. However, he realizes that he must be experiencing thoughts at the moment. Also,
because he is experiencing something, he must exist. The only thing he knows, therefore,
Now, it is a bold thing to say that everything may be false. One’s entire perception
of reality can change once this statement is accepted; hence, it is important to examine
describes how there may be “some supremely powerful and . . . malicious deceiver who
deliberately tries to fool [Descartes] in any way he can” (26). If this is the case, then the
entire world surrounding Descartes may be false. This deception may even include his
own body. Yes, he senses and feels that he has a body, but this of course could be
deceiving.
If he lacks a body, then he also lacks all bodily functions. He does not nourish
himself with food the way he imagines himself doing so. He also does not move around
as he has always believed. These things come to his mind because he senses them, but the
senses may be deceiving. The mere fact that he senses something does not mean that
these sensations are real. After all, he has sensed many things in dreams, and those were
only figments of his imagination. Who is to say that the senses in his waking hours are
which feed input into his mind. However, he knows that he is experiencing something,
alone cannot be separated from me” (27). Thoughts must be running through him in order
may not be a human body, he may not even be a tangible object. For all he knows –
which, at this point, is very little – he may simply be an invisible vapor with absolutely
no physical characteristics. Whatever the case may be, he necessarily exists in some
form.
Descartes has now realized that he only knows two things: he must be thinking,
intellect, or understanding, or reason” (27). However, he can not know for sure. The only
He must exist.
thoughts, but they may not be of his own design. If a deceiver of some sort is able to feed
all forms of sensory into Descartes, then he may be just as able to feed thoughts as well.
Descartes’ entire thought process, then, may merely have been another creation of this
deceiver. If this is the case, then Descartes is not even being deceived; he is simply being