Rene Descartes Second Meditation

In the sixth meditation, Descartes postulates that there exists a fundamental difference in the natures of both mind and body which necessitates that they be considered as separate and distinct entities, rather than one stemming from the other or vice versa. This essay will endeavour to provide a critical objection to Descartes’ conception of the nature of mind and body and will then further commit to elucidating a suitably Cartesian-esque response to the same objection. (Descartes,1641)

One of Descartes’ many critiques was that of fellow philosopher John Locke. Using Locke I will argue that many of Descartes claims in his meditations on innate knowledge and reality show problematic. I do not totally agree with his proposition that only the mind can produce certain knowledge and that our senses are always under the attack of the devil that deceives us. I do however agree with Locke’s argument which opposes Descartes concerning doubt in the first meditation. During Descartes first meditation the focus was placed on doubt and how knowledge is innate in each of us. Next, Descartes highlighted that idea and further explained that our senses can be considered as doubtful or deceiving.

In his philosophical thesis, of the ‘Mind-Body dualism’ Rene Descartes argues that the mind and the body are really distinct, one of the most deepest and long lasting legacies.

Next, In Descartes response to Princess Elisabeth, he claims that the mind and the body are the two different important substances in our human beings. He further to response to Princess Elisabeth question by introducing to her what is called (Cartesian Dualism) he uses these to explain to her that the mind, soul and the body are not the same and can never be same, which came to conclude that your mind cannot be your body and your body cannot be your mind. He also explains

Meditation is the introspective process that involves the mind turning back in and upon itself, removing itself from the material world and focusing its attention inward. Descartes employs meditation to detach the minds from external influences, to think and analyze philosophy from the original foundations. This brings us to Descartes First Meditation, with the introduction of the method of doubt, he presents his philosophical project and claims that in order to complete his project he needs to question the truth behind all his beliefs. He attempts to accomplish this impossible feat because as he’s aged he has realized the false foundations that he has held onto thus far and the ideas he’s built on them. To be able to tear down these beliefs,

Meditation 5 is on the essence of material things and the existence of God once more. In which Descartes finally sums up his thought of God’s presence. He then is able to explain his audience the importance of God in his philosophical theory. Descartes consider how truth can be found by analyzing example of things, not paying much attention of if those examples exist. Descartes’s way of warning his audience about his proof of God’s existence is that just because we imagine God that does not mean God’s presence relies upon our thinking about this. Descartes’s sets a clear example, he brings math in perspective by saying that hypotenuse is the sum of 2 other sides of the triangle and that can be proven through the theory of Pythagorean theorem. Now that it is discovered, one does not need to go back get look for proof of this theory. One must accept it and move on. Similarly, Nature is one of God’s existence examples and one does not need to go back and track the proof of nature. Thus, we do not need to worry about demon-implanting thoughts in our mind. We must put aside the demon

The author starts the superman objection by saying that it is clearly possible for one to imagine Clark Kent existing without Superman and Superman existing without Clarke Kent, but that’s impossible. Clarke Kent doesn’t exist without superman, and vice versa because they are the exact same person. One can not exist without the other. Because one can imagine that they can exist without each other, doesn’t necessarily mean they can exist without each other. One is only imagining, and that doesn’t logically imply that it’s possible. The author uses this objection as an example to prove that Descartes’s idea of the mind and body existing without each because he imagines It, is wrong. Visualizing is not a very dependable way of proving something

In René Descartes ' Mediations on First Philosophy, Descartes abandons all previous notions or things that he holds to be true and attempts to reason through his beliefs to find the things that he can truly know without a doubt. In his first two meditations Descartes comes to the conclusion that all that he can truly know is that he exists, and that he is a thinking being. In his third meditation, Descartes concludes that he came to know his existence, and the fact that he is a thinking being, from his clear and distinct perception of these two facts. Descartes then argues that if his clear and distinct perception would turn out to be false, then his clear and distinct perception that he was a thinking being would not have been enough to make him certain of it (Blanchette). However, Descartes is indeed certain of the fact that he is a thinking being, and that he exists. As a result of this argument, Descartes makes a conclusion that the things he perceives clearly and distinctly cannot be false, and are therefore true (Blanchette).

In Descartes’ third Meditation, Descartes aims to prove God’s existence. So far, he only knows a couple of things with certainty. He knows that he exists, because he knows that he is a thinking thing, and that he has ideas or sensations in his mind. Because he clearly and distinctly perceives that he is a thinking thing, he is certain of that fact. He wouldn’t be able to be certain unless all clear and distinct perceptions were certain, so it is in the first couple of paragraphs that Descartes concludes that whatever he perceives as clearly and distinctly must be true. Descartes sets aside his senses and his images of bodily things before commencing his argument for the existence of God.

In the first two of Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes builds skepticism and then begins to dispel it. In the first, Descartes calls into mind three possibilities to prove our inability to trust our senses and what we fundamentally believe to be true. Descartes’ main refutation of this skepticism is known as the Cogito. The Cogito claims that since Descartes’ thinks, he must at a minimum exist as a thinking thing. In the remainder of Meditations, the Cogito serves as the fundamental premise for Descartes’ proofs for the existence of God and of body. I contend that as it is in Meditations, the Cogito is easily refuted. I argue that Descartes’ response to Mersenne alleviates most of these refutations, as his response shifts

In Second Meditation, Descartes claims, after radical doubt, that the only undeniable truth is his own existence because he must exist to think about his existence. His argument is compelling, but for one problem. In this paper, I shall argue that Descartes’ argument that his “thinking” (Descartes, 153) is proof

In Meditations II, Descartes expresses doubt through a form of meditation. Descartes claims to have accepted many false opinions over time. However, to reject all previous opinions, he states that he needs to “rebuild from the foundation.”

Descartes’ theories got a lot of attention from the science world with his claims about the pineal gland. He was the first to put so much emphasis on this area of the brain that it caused there to be more focus on it in the scientific world. Research has shown that the pineal gland is an endocrine organ that secretes hormones, specifically Melatonin, but there has been no evidence that it is the connection between the mind and body. This idea about the pineal gland is largely rejected in the science community and by many theorists. Even Descartes started to be unsure about the pineal gland since there was no way to tell how the connection was actually made. Later in his life, he wrote a letter to Princess Elizabeth of the Palatinate in which he said, “[T]he union of mind and body is best understood by not thinking about it, and that it is just one of those mysteries that has to be accepted without

The “German” philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) wrote in one of his major works the Critique of Pure Reason in 1781that, “It always remains a scandal of philosophy”. Want Immanuel Kant meant by this claim was that in the field of metaphysics in the early 17th century to the late 18th

In the Second Meditation, what is the Cogito, and what does it tell me for certain about my own existence? What is strongest and what is weakest in Descartes’ account?