Descartes Second Meditation

Describe and assess the process by which Descartes arrives at the conclusion ‘I think therefore I am’.

In this essay, I will outline Descartes Meditations. Primarily, I will discuss the first meditation and analyse the second Meditation. Chiefly, I will analyse the second Meditation, by which Descartes concludes “I think there for I am”. Significantly, Descartes is a famous seventeenth century philosopher, renowned for saying “I think therefore I am”. Notably, Descartes was a rationalist, relying on reason as the best guide for belief and action. Descartes trusted the human power of logic. In addition, Descartes had immense interest in clarity of thought and definition and what could achieve. Furthermore, the goal of Descartes meditation

The first Meditation can be read as setting the groundwork for the meditations that follow. The intention of the first Meditation is to present the idea that our senses are flawed and should not be trusted. Descartes has three main arguments in his first Meditation, the dream argument, the deceiving God argument and the evil demon or “evil genius” argument. Reading the first Meditation Descartes first meditation entitled “What can be called into doubt”, begins with the Meditator reflecting on the number of falsehood, he has believed during his life and the subsequent faultiness of knowledge he had built up as a result of these falsehoods. Significantly, Descartes wishes to resolve himself of the knowledge he knows and begin again from the foundations. Ultimately, the Meditator reveals he has may only find reason to doubt his present mindset in order to prompt a more sturdier foundation for his knowledge. Everything that the Meditator has accepted as true has come from or through his use of his senses. However, the Meditator acknowledge that’s the sense can deceitful. The

Descartes aspires to bring his readers to an understanding of their essential natures. The meditational exercise is to reveal the Meditators capacities, the ability to avoid error and discover the truth. The second Meditation, subtitled, ‘The nature of the human mind and it is better than the body’ took place the day after the first meditation. The Mediator is determined in his resolve to continue his pursuit for certainty and discord anything that is open to doubt. Descartes begins the meditation by noting that Archimedes required one fixed point of reference to move the globe from one place to another. Significantly, Descartes aspires to find one thing that is indubitable and certain. However, Descartes remarks that everything he experiences is false. He notes that the body and internal nature with their mathematical truths may be fictional. Notably, the only truth is he believes is that nothing is certain. The only truth is that there is no absolute truth. Descartes poses a question, “what about myself?” He notes that there may be no world and no body belonging to him, however, he does not consider himself nothing. Descartes continues with the question ‘where I will be and who will I become?’ if the world is non-existent. Descartes concedes that he must exist. In order for Descartes to endure such doubts about the