René Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy

Running head: RENÉ DESCARTES: MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY
RENÉ DESCARTES: MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY
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1RENÉ DESCARTES: MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY
The French mathematician and scientist is considered as the first modern philosopher.
Descartes is well known for having made a significant relation between algebra and geometry
which discovered ways of solving geometrical problems through algebraic equations. One of his
work that is most famous is Meditationes de Prima Philosophia which is known as Meditations
on First Philosophy. The book consists of six meditations where Descartes eliminates believes
that are uncertain and not wholly truths the establish things that can be certain and be known to
be sure. The writing is based on the possibilities of science with a philosophical groundwork.
This essay aims to discuss on his sixth meditation that provides reasons for thinking that mind
and body are two different substance. The essay also examines Descartes’ believe that mind must
be an immaterial substance that is entirely distinct from the matter of the body.
Argument summary: Entitled as ‘The existence of material things, and the real distinction
between mind and body’ is the sixth meditation is the final meditation that is. The sixth
meditation begins with the meditator thinking about the existence of material things. In this
meditation, the potential existence of material outside of the self and God is addressed by
Descartes (Descartes, 2008). Firstly the objects that have existed on earth since God created them
is emphasised by him. Hence, the knowledge possessed by human being regarding the physical
world outside them is in a non-theoretical sense. The existence of material objects is only since
they are the subject-matter of pure mathematics. It has truths which can be understood distantly
and apparently without any vagueness. Descartes produced two reasons that can be held
responsible for material things existence. The first argument on the existence of material things
is based on the faculty of imagination and another is based on the senses.
The first distinguish that is made by Descartes is between pure imagination and
imagination. With the help of a triangle, he explained the way he can observe that it is a three

2RENÉ DESCARTES: MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY
sided figure and it derives different sort of other properties using the same understanding.
Descartes is able to view these properties with an imagination that is by having a picture of a
triangle in the mind’s eye. Nevertheless, the imagination ought to be unclear when a 1000 sided
picture is imagined. It becomes difficult to imagine in the mind’s eye to have an image of all the
figures and even more difficult to differentiate that single image among the rest 999 sided
figures. It is only in mathematical relation where a pure understanding of all the features of the
figures can be perceived easily.
The imagination of mind is not easy to perform as it is possible for the meditator to exist
even without the performance of imagining. Hence it is crucial to rely the imagination for its
existence on something that would be mind than anything. The mediator assumes that the
imagination is related with the body, therefore, it lets the mind to picture objects that are
corporeal in nature. In order to understand, the mind goes towards within on itself and to
imagine, the mind goes towards the body. The meditator agrees that on this aspect that it is only
a secure connection however it is not concrete evidence that can prove the existence of the body.
Descartes reflects on his perception gained by means of the senses. According to him,
there is a body that has existence in a world, and it is capable of experiencing pleasure, pain,
emotions, hunger and many other needs. It is also capable of recognizing other bodies with
extension, smell, form, colour, rigidity, movement, warmth, taste and many more. Descartes also
thinks it is common to consider these perceptions are obtained from external sources. These
perceptions are involuntarily visited by the body and these are extremely vivid than the
perceptions that are created within his mind. It is also important to mention his knowledge
regarding this aspect that the feelings were not possible to develop voluntarily. In the
circumstances, when it comes without involuntarily it would be common to think these feelings