Descartes Second Meditation
Descartes's Second Meditation discusses how a "body" can perceive things, such as objects. Perception is vital to his first theory that "[he] thinks, therefore [he] is." In order to prove his conclusion; he goes through a series of premises, or arguments, that lead him to his final conclusion. In order to reach this conclusion, he uses a process of elimination. In Descartes's final premise, he uses the idea that in order to perceive something you must have a concept of it. Therefore, I'm arguing that the final premise is flawed, in that through this concept, he is going against some of his very own ideas. The conclusion of Descartes's argument is "I manifestly know that nothing can be perceived more easily and more evidently than my own mind..." His conclusion is reached through a process of argument elimination. The argument begins with an implicit premise that "bodies" can perceive things in three ways. These ways are through the senses, the imagination, or the intellect. So his first premise implies that Descartes believes that there are only three ways to perceive things. The structure of the argument is based around the type of argument known as an argument by elimination. Argument
The response that he would probably give, although I don't feel as if I am qualified to speak on behalf of Descartes, is that these things are reasoned through the mind. Again, the mind is the only thing that he can be sure of because of his thoughts. Reason gives him the ability to believe these things because reason precedes experience, and everything takes a "second place" after his intellect. We have direct access to our minds, so it can not be deceived through this process. Just because his senses are deceived, thought remains steadfast. I would imagine that this defense would work, but still it is hard to see how this argument would go from something of this nature, and jump right into the idea that the mind is the easiest thing to perceive. Sometimes I often find just the opposite. The second premise indicates that the faculty of imagination does not perceive bodies either. His argument around the wax takes place again. The wax has unimaginable shapes that it can be "changed" into. The imagination, according to Descartes, has limitations, which possibilities extend far past. Imagination, according to Descartes, is much like he referred to as a dream in his first Meditation. Imagination deceives the "dreamer" into believing something that could very well be past the point of sensible. The imagination is capable of creating images and ideas into the "body." The images that it conjures are often something that is very susceptible of doubt. The last explicit premise explains that bodies are perceived by the intellect. The intellect is that which is thought, or the mind, which is the essential property of thought, or "intellect, or understanding, or reason" (19). Descartes explains that through the simple fact that, even if he is being deceived by something, he must be something in order to be deceived. Whether it is imagined or sensed, it still exists. Descartes believes that as long as he is thinkin
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Approximate Word count = 1308
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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