The Summary On Descartes Meditation - 2399 Words

Ben Massey Brian Lisle Philosophy 1012 Monday May 4, 2015 The Summary for Descartes Meditation The main two aims for the meditator Descartes are to show that the source of scientific knowledge, as we know it today, does not lay in our senses but the mind, and the compatibility between religion and science (Descartes 35). He aims to split the world into body and mind, where science will deal with the body and religion with the mind. The concept of Descartes’ meditation is an interesting one. He admits that he was living a lie, has been mistaken, and wants to discard his previous perceptions and thoughts and start afresh living a life he considers certain. He thinks that in his life he could be dreaming, and his senses are deceiving him to believe in things that are uncertain. However, even if he no longer wants to trust his senses, one thing is certain, he must be living or existing. Having the capability to doubt of the pre-conceptions proves to him that he is thinking, and something thinking and planning is currently in existence. His aim here is not to show everything that we see does not exist, or we human are incapable of knowing whether they exist or not. The aim is to prove that human knowledge on these things based on the senses is open to questions and doubt. The implication of this perception is that since we are certain that external things exist, it is impossible for humans to have this knowle dge through the senses, but rather the mind. Although the existence ofShow MoreRelatedA Summary of Descartes Second Meditation1016 Words   |  5 PagesDescartes starts by doubting everything (â€Å"I will suppose then, that everything I see is spurious†) and thinks that anything which admits the slightest doubt must be false. 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