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Critical Summary: Descartes' Meditations I, II, And VI - School Essays

Critical Summary: Descartes' Meditations I, II, And VI

.
In his First, Second, and Sixth Meditations, Descartes outlines and carries
out part of his plan in search of the indubitable. With the proposal of an
"evil genius" and the noted fallibility of the senses, he casts potential
doubt on virtually all fundamental knowledge (Meditation I). Then he
proposes that the only knowable fundamental truth is the fact that "I"
exist (Meditation II). Finally, after systematically building up higher-
level indubitable truths from that fundamental, he details the differences
and interactions between the mind and body (Meditation VI). His discussion
is classic and valuable, but is not without an abundance of critics.

Descartes' First Meditation explains ...

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out one fault. The mere fact that he continues
optimistically in his pursuits after the considerations in this section
shows his implicit belief that he is not being deceived in his current or
future deliberations on the matter. This simple fact seems to contradict
the very essence of this meditation.

The Second Meditation continues to address the issues of evil deception in
body and mind, and aims primarily to draw the conclusion that although at
this point the existence of the body apparently cannot be known, the
existence of the self (which is later equated with the mind) can. This is
based on Descartes' belief: "I think that I am something." Furthermore, he
proposes the apparent tautological necessity of one of two possibilities -
the first is that he is correct in that thought, and the second that he is
being evilly deceived in the thought. Naturally, both cases indicate the
conclusion that he does indeed exist, for (conveniently) even in order to
be deceived one needs to ...

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Critical Summary: Descartes' Meditations I, II, And VI. (2007, November 16). Retrieved November 20, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Critical-Summary-Descartes-Meditations-I-II/74403

"Critical Summary: Descartes' Meditations I, II, And VI." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 16 Nov. 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Critical-Summary-Descartes-Meditations-I-II/74403>

"Critical Summary: Descartes' Meditations I, II, And VI." Essayworld.com. November 16, 2007. Accessed November 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Critical-Summary-Descartes-Meditations-I-II/74403.

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Added: 11/16/2007 11:49:22 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 595
Pages: 3

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