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Descartes’s Dream Hypothesis - College Paper

Descartes’s Dream Hypothesis

In his First Meditation, Rene Descartes states, "It does indeed seem to me that it is with eyes awake that I am looking at this paper." This launches into his skepticism about sensory input and the nature of conscious reality. Descartes notices, "I have in sleep been deceived by similar illusions," meaning when he dreams he believes that everything is real. Unless we have a lucid dream, in which we are conscious of being in the dream state, then most people are unaware that they are dreaming while they are dreaming. Because of this, Descartes suggests that "there are no certain indications by which we may clearly distinguish wakefulness from sleep." The philosopher addresses the topic of ...

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of dreaming is an effective vehicle to present his theories on the nature of objective reality.
Descartes believes that doubt is a key to a better understanding of reality. Everything the philosopher currently knows, he picked up from his sensory perceptions. However, the case of dreaming, his senses definitely deceive him. Descartes realizes that this is a different type of deception from the kind that, say, plagues the eyes in the darkness. Dreaming poses a unique conundrum because reality seems so vivid and because his consciousness cannot properly distinguish the dream. In the case of sensory deception, such as blurred vision, his consciousness is aware of the discrepancy.
A key element in Descartes's argument that makes it effective is his discussion of composite objects. A dream is composed of known objects, which cannot be doubted. For example, a mermaid is composed of fish and woman. The existence of the simple parts: the fish and the woman are not doubted, but the ...

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Descartes’s Dream Hypothesis. (2015, November 24). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Descartess-Dream-Hypothesis/105216

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 11/24/2015 03:05:03 AM
Category: Philosophy
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 652
Pages: 3

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