First Meditation What Can Be Called Into Doubt Chapter 1 Summary

Renee Descartes was a famous French philosopher, scientists and mathematician in the 17th century and became known as the “Father of Philosophy.” At the time, the church had ultimate authority in Europe. Descartes wanted to establish a different philosophy based on experiments and testing ideas, rather than theological beliefs. One of Descartes most famous books is called “Meditations of the First Philosophy”. The first chapter of this book is entitled “First Meditation: What Can Be Called into Doubt”. He starts this chapter by acknowledging that some of the concepts that we use to believe are not true, and uses this first philosophy to challenging our most basic ideas. He does this because he does not want to challenge each of his beliefs
According to Descartes, we should not fully trust our senses because we have seen that some our senses can deceive us. For example, when an object is far away and we mistake it for something else other that what it is, our sight has deceived us. Another example he’s referred to is how a stick may look bent when its underneath water, but when it surfaces its straight. But for the most part our senses are reliable, and certain things we experience are difficult to doubt such as our existence. For example, it would be hard for me to doubt that I am actually typing this paper at this very moment. But Descartes brings up a valid argument that I may only be dreaming that I am writing this paper, and it may not actually be happening. But if we are dreaming we can still in fact say that our dream corresponds to something real. Descartes also realizes this and uses an example of a painter. A painter can paint anything that he imagines, even if he decides to paint a mermaid. Even though a mermaid is not real it is comprised of a women and a fish which are real
His famous cogito argument, “I think therefore I am”, explains that we exist while we think. Descartes observes: “I have convinced myself that there is absolutely nothing in the world, no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies. Does it now follow that I too do not exist? No: if I convinced myself of something then I certainly existed” (Meditations on First Philosophy). Every thought, even if unreliable, proves existence because in order to have a thought there must be a thinker. This is the questionable doubt that Descartes was looking for in order to build his new