Descartes "Meditations..." Meditations on First

¶ … Descartes "Meditations..." Meditations on First Philosophy - a Summary In which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated) This philosophical essay was written by Rene Descartes (1596-1650) in 1641. Descartes, also known for his famous "I think, therefore I am" theory, was also a mathematician and scientist. He is recognized as the father of both modern philosophy and modern scientific method. In addition, this genius has also been regarded as the originator of modern physiological psychology and the creator of analytical geometry.

Descartes' book contains six meditations. His first step is to remove belief in all things that cannot be proven true. Then he proceeds to attempt to confirm what might be known for certain.

In his preface to the Meditations, Descartes states the two main issues he is addressing more than any others: "I have always considered that the two questions respecting God and the Soul were the chief of those that ought to be demonstrated by philosophical rather than theological argument." He was well aware of all of the objections to his reasoning and addressed that subject repeatedly and emphatically in his preface.

However, with a touch of humor he announces he will proceed anyway "without however expecting any praise from the vulgar and without the hope that my book will have many readers." First Meditation Descartes, through the "meditator" addresses those things which may be called into doubt. He talks about his own skepticism and asks how he (or anyone else) can be sure of anything. He then presents creative and generally very peculiar thoughts justifying a mistrust of one's senses.

Some experts believe that this meditation is an argument for and about skepticism itself. Descartes, as far as is known, was the first philosopher to question how man can be certain of anything.

Second Meditation Thus having fully weighed every consideration, I must finally conclude that the statement 'I am, I exist' must be true whenever I state it or mentally consider it." With that statement, Descartes proves his five-step theory that proves he exists because he is, in his words, "a thinking thing." Third Meditation have explained at sufficient length the principal argument of which I make use in order to prove the existence of God," Descartes claims.

He claims that the idea of God is placed in us by God and that, if he (Descartes) exists there must have been a causation. He eliminates all other causes for his existence except God and says that, therefore, God exists. Fourth Meditation If his claims in the Third Meditation are true that God is the causation of everything, then how is there room for error, since God is perfection.

After a long argument with himself, he determines that God's gifts to man are perfect, but it is the use of those gifts that cause the errors. Fifth Meditation He attempts to again prove God's existence "a priori," that is, without evidence of it. Sixth Meditation Since mathematics can prove that material objects are feasible, Descartes acknowledges that, since.