Descartes Philosophical Meditations On God And His...

Descartes philosophical meditations offer a window into his beliefs on God and his perceptions. He begins his first meditation by describing his Madness and Dream arguments, which outline his doubts in his own perceptions. He wants to be acutely aware of deception as he moves forward because he has no way of determining when his perceptions are true and when his perceptions are false. Moving through his other meditations, he discusses the idea of truth, goodness, and the existence of God, ending his sixth meditation with the acknowledgement that God would not deceive him, so he must not worry about his perceptions being true anymore. From there, Descartes is not deeply concerned about the truth of his perception of the world. However, upon†¦show more content†¦His justification of his dream arguments is structurally sound, and it is not refuted in a similarly strong manner. He begins by saying â€Å"I see so plainly that there are no definitive signs by which to distinguish being awake from being asleep† (105). He explains that his perceptions of reality are accessible in his dreams, despite his dreams being nonexistent. He can see images that are not there, he can feel things that are not there, and he can experience things that are not happening. His perceptions deceive him in his dreams, and he has no way of truly telling the difference between true perception and false perception, as proven by his inability to tell the difference between dreams and reality. â€Å"Let us assume then, †¦ that we are dreaming and that such particulars as these are not true: that we are not opening our eyes, moving our head and extending our hands†¦Nevertheless, it surely must be admitted that the things seen during slumber are, as it were, like painted images,† (105). By supplying the dream argument, he gives doubt to his perception, which is enough to formulate his first meditation: â€Å"I will remain resolute and steadfast in this meditatio n, and even if it is not within my power to know anything true, it certainly is within my power to take care resolutely to withhold my assent to what is false, les this deceiver, however powerful, however clever he may be, have any effect on me† (107). However, he seems to forget theShow MoreRelatedDescartes Belief in God Essay1503 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes and God In his groundbreaking work, Meditations on First Philosophy, the French philosopher Rene Descartes lays the groundwork for many philosophical principles by attempting to â€Å"establish a bold and lasting knowledge† (171)1. The foundations for knowledge Descartes established would go on to influence a plethora of other philosophers and philosophical works. 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