Meditations on First Philosophy

Meditations on First Philosophy

Rene Descartes’ “Meditations on First Philosophy” is, without doubt, one of the most influential philosophical texts ever written. Since its publication in the mid-17^th century, the philosophical treatise has had a profound impact on the Western school of thought from the sciences to arts. “Meditations” exemplifies the transition from the Renaissance era philosophical approach to the Enlightenment. Before Descartes’ work, there had been little progress in Western philosophical thinking since the age of the Greek philosophers. During the medieval period, people were content to accept church doctrine as the sole source of the truth and nothing else. With the book Meditations, Descartes inspired a paradigm shift. Meditations changed the concept of truth from being something in God’s hands to a more human-centred idea of truth that is based on reason. In essence, the human mind began taking increased control over philosophical ideas. Descartes introduced sceptical thinking challenging his contemporaries to question dogma through reason – this kind of thinking characterizes the age of Enlightenment. Through an original system of methodical doubt, Descartes refuted the apparent knowledge and truths stemming from an authority, the human senses, and reason. In doing so, Descartes formulated a new epistemic approach that is based on intuition as expressed in his well-known proposition “I think therefore I am.” In the modern era, Meditation remains a relevant philosophical tool forming the foundation for current theories.

Meditations on the First Philosophy explores six “meditations on the truths that human beings can derive from their natural world through reason. The six meditations entail a wide range of topics that range from the existence of God to other simple truths in life. Within these six meditations, Descartes refutes all beliefs in things that are not one hundred percent certain and then attempts to establish new truths. Some elements of the arguments in Mediations remain controversial since proving a negative is impossible. The meaningful contributions of the work include metaphysical dualism which separates between the mind and matter from which stems the mind-body problem. Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy has two introductions. The first introduction is addressed to the theology department in a college, while the second one addresses the leaders. In the latter, Descartes discusses his arguments against the Discourse, asserting that most of the critics challenge his conclusions rather than his chains of logic. The author promises to address two of the most significant criticism. He further requests the reader to read the six mediations with an open and unbiased mind.

The first meditation discusses how the Descartes came to make sense of the world through simple truths in life. The first meditation is also a response to some of the criticism of the material from the Discourse. At a young age, Descartes struggles with understanding some of the simple truths, such as the concept of love. However, as he grows older, he learns to use his senses to establish the truth. Thus, human senses are therefore the basis for finding the truth and thus making sense of the world. Descartes asserts that it would be nonsensical to express doubt on whether he had a body or not because the senses make it obvious. However, Descartes posits that it is also possible to experience a reality in dreams that is as real as when he is awake. Descartes is unable to explain the difference between dreams and waking reality. Therefore, Descartes argues that since we dream of our bodies, then it means our bodies exist. We use the information collected from the reality when we dream; thus, dreams are a reflection of the truths in the real world. Even if the complex things do not exist, Descartes is convinced that at least the basic components, shapes, or colours that constitute them exist. For that reason, we can argue that physical sciences, which are based on composites, are uncertain. However, arithmetic and geometry, both of which study simple components, are certain. Such simple components of the whole, Descartes assume to be self-evident truths because of his innate beliefs on a creator.

In the second meditation, Descartes discusses the relationship between the mind and the body. For one, he believes that the mind and the body are separate entities that function together. The body is more aware of the mind than the mind is aware of the body. As such, it appears the mind is on a separate realm of existence that is separate both from the body and the physical world in which it resides. Most of the second medication focusses on whether there are certain things on which Descartes can be certain beyond a reasonable doubt. The mind is a thinking machine that is a helps us make sense of the world. Though the perceptions through senses can be false, it is impossible to refute such perceptions. This means that the human mind is not only capable of thinking but also perception. Descartes provides an example of a piece of wax. Despite the physical differences between solid wax and molten wax, we understand that both are wax. This implies that the perception is not limited to the human senses. In most cases, perception stems from the reasoning mind that makes a judgement. Since the senses are susceptible to deception, to perceive the physical world, we must rely more on our reasoning rather than senses. Based on this proposition, Descartes argues that mind is the only thing that we can be certain exists.

In the third Descartes attempts to prove the existence of God. In order to prove the existence of God, Descartes rationalizes the extent to which the physical world is perfect. Similar to the generations before them, Descartes also believed that something could not originate from something. A perfect being or perfect world, therefore, can only come from a perfect creator. Based on an underlying assumption that God is perfect, Descartes argues that the physical world and human beings, which are also perfect, are God’s creation. Descartes posits that it is not possible that he created himself if he did, then he could have created himself perfect. Besides, Descartes argues that neither his parents are responsible for his creation because they are non-perfect entities. In this meditation, Descartes examines whether there is something in his mind that would deceive him to make up the idea of God. Based on his assumptions on God, God is infinite, perfect, and all-powerful. Descartes acknowledges that he is finite. Since the finite life form cannot dream of the infinite, the idea of the infinite must come from elsewhere and must precede the finite. Thus, God, who is an infinite being, must exist. God’s existence explains the source of the idea of God. Only an infinite and perfect being can be responsible for the idea of a God. Besides, the existence of God also accounts for the idea of perfection since perfection cannot originate from a non-perfect life form

In the fourth meditation, Descartes attempts to reconcile the idea of a perfect God within an imperfect world that is plagued with evil. In a world with a perfect and infinite God, the fact that falsehood and error prevalent is in itself appalling. The problem concerning the true and the false are best expressed in his proposition, “If I’ve got everything in me from God and he has not given me the ability to make an error, then it does not seem possible for me to make errors.” In order to explain this paradox, Descartes bases his arguments on the Great Chain of Being. In this argument, God’s goodness is regarded are relative to his perfection. Since God’s goodness is relative, human beings find themselves in between two extremes. On one side is ultimate goodness and the other side is nothingness, which is deepened form of evil. Human beings are, therefore, an intermediate between God and nothingness because we are neither perfect nor nothing. We possess both the elements of good and evil. Based on the human nature of the error, it indicates that it was the design of God to create them imperfect. Descartes thus argues that his imperfection might be what makes him perfect in God’s overall design. Another argument that Descartes presents is that his errors can be his own undoing, a failure to utilize his God-given capabilities.

Descartes, in the fifth meditation, attempts to distinguish between consciousness and material things. Through examining the material things in relation to God, Descartes attempts to determine whether he can believe in them. In doing so, he categorizes his ideas on the material world under two major groups; distinct and confused. Distinct entities present a single truth that has an essence to themselves that is independent of a person. For instance, mathematical concepts are distinct and thus exist. Descartes concludes that without knowledge of the existence of God, there can be no science – God is the source of all knowledge. And since God and reason are the essence of existence, Descartes sees no point in doubting all things anymore. God provides humans with intellectual capabilities to decipher the truth.

In the sixth meditation, Descartes extends his previous arguments to explain the gap between humans and the material world. It is also an extension of the mind and body relationship discussed in the second meditation. He argues that material things that outside self and God, exist because God made them. The presence of such materials implies the existence of God. Mental images prove the existence of the material world. According to Descartes, such images can occur in the form of imagination or understanding. The distinction between imagination and understanding is critical in explaining the essence of material objects. Imagination asserts that imagination entails an exerting the effort of the mind, unlike understanding, and therein lies the difference. Like the other arguments, Descartes uses God to offer proof of fir external material things. The first premise is that humans have a strong inclination to believe in external material things based on our senses. And, the human nature to perceive such materials through our senses must have been as a result of God’s creation. As such, if the external material world does not exist, it implies deception from the creator.  However, based on the benevolent nature of God, we know that God is not a deceiver. These premises suggest that material things exist and have intrinsic properties. Descartes applies the same line of argument to the mind-body problem. Since God is all-powerful, God can create something that is distinct from each other, things that we can perceive as separate. It thus implies that God can create a body that is independent of the mind. Another premise for the argument is that we comprehend our bodies as extended material things which do not require the mind. This means that the body can exist without the mind. Therefore, the mind can exist without the body since it belongs to a separate realm other than the physical.

There are several similarities between the portrayal of Rene Descartes in the textbook and the depiction in the Meditations of First Philosophy. The textbook presents Descartes as a thoughtful individual who is widely regarded as the father of modern philosophy. Besides, the textbook highlights his various contributions to the development of new science, based on observation and experimentation. Descartes is the first scholar to depart from the Aristotelianism giving birth to modern philosophy. Other contributions include the formulation of the mind-body dualism, which has given rise to the mind-body problem in the modern era. From the readings, Descartes focus on a logical approach represents him as a rational individual. The Mediation is a work of reason; Descartes uses methodical doubt to develop new truths.

Descartes viewpoint on philosophy forms the basis of the modern understanding of psychology. It is a departure from divine-centred truths to people-centred truths. Since people have more control over the concept of truth, modern philosophy is characterized by critical thinking and reasoning. It is through the act of thinking that we can make sense of the world and our purpose in its, as Descartes posits, I think therefore I am, the reason is central to the essence of our existence. Despite the limitations with Descartes approach, the overdependence on a religious viewpoint, it is the basis for the current philosophical approach. Rene Descartes work on Meditations fits well with the current understanding of psychological concepts.

References

Descartes, R. (2013). René Descartes: Meditations on first philosophy: With selections from the objections and replies. Cambridge University Press.