FREE ESSAY ON DESCARTED MEDITATIONS

DESCARTED MEDITATIONS

Clear and Distinct Perception: 
An Analysis Of Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes' Meditations in the First Philosophy is a skeptic's speculation on certain
inalienable truths. Descartes meditations are based on the epistemological theory of
rationalism: that is if someone truly knows something then they could not possibly be
mistaken. He provides solid arguments for what his six meditations stand for, and how he
obtained a clear and distinct perception of innate ideas. In Meditations he comes to
terms with three certainties: the existence of the mind as the thing that thinks, the
body as an extension, and God as the supreme being. He attests that he came to these
conclusions by doubting all that had been taught to him in his formal education, and all
he received through the senses. 
Descartes' first uncertainty was noted in Discourse of Method. I found myself embarrassed
with so many doubts and errors that it seemed to me that the effort to instruct myself
had no effect other than the increasing discovery of my ignorance (Baird p. 11). He had
difficultly embracing the diverse, and sometimes hypocritical, ideas he encountered in
his studies. He developed a skeptical frame of reference; this uncertain point of view
aided him in developing Meditations. All that he saw, tasted, touched, smelled and heard
was caste into uncertainty. He thought all of his confusion and indeterminate ideas were
caused by the senses. According to Descartes, The senses deceive, and it is prudent never
to trust completely those who have deceived us even once"(Baird, Forrest E. p. 22). He
used the example of perceiving the sun and the moon. When both are looked upon from
earth, they appear to be about the same size and distance from our planet. Mathematics,
however reveal an enormous difference in their size and distance. This is why he
desperately needed to abandon all he had learned and acquired through the senses.
Certainty surfaced beyond all that he doubted, and to know these certainties led
Descartes to the truth.
To know, according to Descartes, was to have a clear and distinct perception of an idea.
One could perceive ideas clearly and distinctly through a process of introspection and
reflection. When a person abandoned all that was received through the senses they were
then able to deduce the essence of an idea. The essence was the most basic foundation of
existence; that is the simplest universal truth. To know was to truly understand the
essence of a thing or idea. 
The first thing Descartes was able to clearly and distinctly perceive was the idea of the
mind. The mind represented the self or the idea of I. It did not represent the self as in
physical appearances because the mind has no physical attributes. The mind, according to
Descartes', is simply the thing that thinks. The essence of the mind is, A thing that
doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is willing, is unwilling and also imagines and has
sensory perceptions (Baird, p. 13). 
He also knew with certainty the idea of an extended thing. By extension he means a body
or substance that exist in nature, and outside the thinking thing. It was the essence of
that which he could describe with mathematical certainty. He emphasizes a distinction
between the mind and body. ...in as much as the body is the very nature is always
divisible as the mind is utterly indivisible. (Baird, Forrest E. p. 53) 
Descartes clearly and distinctly perceived an idea of a Supreme Being or God, the perfect
infinite manifestation of mind. By the word 'God' I understand a substance that is
infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful, and which created both
myself and everything else that exists (Baird, Forrest E. p. 34). Descartes has a clear
and distinct perception of God and reasons that it must be It that grants him the ability
to clearly and distinctly perceive God. 
Descartes speculations on certainty may not have satisfied an empiricist's point of view
of experience as an essential element in knowledge, but alas, he was a rationalist. So in
Descartes' mind one can only know with certainty the Mind as the thinking thing, the Body
as the extended thing and God as a supreme being. 
Bibliography:
Descartes, Rene. Meditations in the First Philosophy. In Baird, Forest E. and Walter
Kaufmann, Modern Philosophy, 3rd Edition Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000.