Descartes First Meditation on skeptical doubts opens with the mediator reflecting on the numerous falsehoods he has always believed all his life. He also reflects on the imperfect knowledge he has come up with, following these falsehood. Therefore, Descartes resolved on sweeping all the things he knew and starting again on the foundations in which he built up his knowledge once again, but this time on certain grounds. Furthermore, this becomes Desecrates overall goal that he sets for himself as far as the Meditator is concerned. The philosopher is seen seated alone by the fire, where he is free from all worries in order to do away with his old opinions.
According to the Meditators reasoning, I think he needs to find some reasons to doubt his current opinions, prompting him to seek much tougher foundations as far as his knowledge is concerned. As opposed to doubting the individual opinion of everyone, Descartes reasons that he may end up doubting the basic principles and foundations that form the basis of his very own opinions. It must be noted that whatever the Meditator has agreed as real facts, then it means they have come from the senses. However, in as much as he learns through the senses, the lament that the very senses can at time deceive, particularly for the away or very small objects. Moreover, it is noted that our if not my sensory knowledge as a whole is in most cases quite sturdy.
Nevertheless, whenever the Mediator is dreaming, he realizes that he is in most cases convinced that indeed he is sensing objects that are real. However, much his sensation is, the dream images, his suggestion, to which I concur with, is that even these dream images come from real life experience, just like the paintings. At this juncture, I have come to the realization that even painters themselves in as much as they create objects that may look entirely new, the colors are normally drawn from things of reality.
I, therefore, conclude that in as much as a philosopher is uncertain about complex things, he cannot by all means doubt the universal, though simple parts like shape, time, quantity and size among others in which they are derived. Despite the fact people can doubt studies whose bases are pegged on composite things such as astronomy, medicine or even physics; I can deduce following Descartes’ story that studies that are based on geometry or arithmetic cannot be doubted.
My further reflection reveals that the Meditator realizes that the Omnipotent God, even makes once conception as far as Mathematics is concerned false. People may argue that the supremacy of God is extremely good, and such people would not falsely believe all such things. However, by the Mediators reasoning, many would think that God would never deceive one in anything, and this is clearly false. In any case God does not exist, then a better possibility of being betrayed would come in, bearing in mind that our defective intelligences would not by any means been created by the perfect being, God.
Since the Mediator almost finds it impossible to keep most of his habitual opinions as well as assumptions out of thought, he, therefore, resolves to the pretense that such sentiments are deceitful and just imaginations so that he can manage his customary ways of thought.
In relating first and second Meditation, wherein the second meditation, the latter deals with the nature of mind, which the body understands. Descartes uses mental images, which he believes in, with a bid of helping him understand what he is. I, therefore, deduce that he is the one who has senses, gain awareness of physical objects through his senses. He says that he can now see the light, hear a noise and even feel the heat; things that are unreal since he was dreaming.
Reference
Descartes, R. (1596-1650). Descartes and the problems of skepticism, Meditations on First Philosophy, New York: Discourse on method and principles of philosophy.
