The Meditations Explained, Essay Example

In this Firs Meditation Descartes puts forward the skeptical argument, which actually appears to be a radical point in philosophy. He brings up the issue that the outmost simplicity can also be shocking in its impact on our claims to acknowledge things about the environment and world around us. “As a matter of fact, there no sure signs by means of which dream perceptions can be distinguished from waking ones.”(Gaukroger, 22) Thus, I think Descartes concludes that at least at this point he cannot eliminate the fact or possibility that he is sleeping and dreaming. Moreover, he put this fact as a fundamental issue to doubt the truth of all his bodies and beliefs. He does not take into account the fact that now at least he cannot decline the fact that he is dreaming as a fundamental reason to doubt the truth of his mathematical beliefs: “For whether I am awake or asleep two and three added together are five, and a square has no more than four sides.”(Cottingham, 29) Descartes has long held a belief that he was created by an omnipotent God, thus his belief makes him consider a new prospect that all of his beliefs have been projected by an omnipotent God intent on deceiving him seems to Descartes to be the grounds to doubt the truthfulness of any believes he now obtains. It seems that the dream for Descartes is simply the matter of imagination. The assumptions he makes about dreams can be compared to what people can actually remember and associate of their real dreams.

Works Cited

Gaukroger, Stephen. The Blackwell guide to Descartes’ Meditations. Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.

Cottingham, John. Descartes. Wiley-Blackwell, 1986.