Meditation One and Two by Descartes - Essay Example

Descartes’ Meditations 2 Descartes’ meditation 2 are mainly a compilation of principles of truth and reason, and how, through the use of which one is able to reach a correct conclusion. In meditation 1, Descartes explains how the use of his senses to describe and make meaning of things often times led him to falsehoods. This is because of the fact that our senses can only go as far as a careless impression and estimation. It can deceive us especially when we are focusing on something that is too near that you cannot see the big picture or perhaps something too far that we are mistaken of the size or shape (Med1&2, n.p.).

However, he does not entirely question his senses since human’s ability for sensory knowledge is reliable except on more challenging circumstances such as seeing things at a distance. Also, in Meditation 1, he doubts his knowledge for the reason that he might be dreaming (Med1&2, n.p.). He tells of the danger of confusing dreams from reality especially because of the fact that we are very much convinced that whatever is happening in our dreams, no matter how far they are from reality is the truth.

This is a very similar principle derived from the concept of the movie “Inception” which implies that the beginning of what a man will consider true is when he or she is fully awake. But the question is, how will you distinguish being awake in reality or being in a waking dream? Lastly, Descartes questions his knowledge because of the fact that evil is all around us, constantly causing us a slanted view of truth. That is why, we all need to be governed by law and not rely on our morals and free will because with the influence of evil, we can have our own versions of the good and bad and rationalize them to fit our selfish interests.

However, in Meditation 2, Descartes brings himself out of his doubts because of the fact that he is a being made up of not only of a body but also of a mind, therefore he is a thinking being. Though his concept of knowledge could be marred by the limitations of his senses, dreams, and the influence of evil, he still can go beyond all three because of his mind or his ability to think. In line with this, he claims that mind can be better known than the body for the reason that the body could be easily deformed, perished, or seeped out of its strength with the influence of evil or is just part of the man’s mortal nature but the mind is something that is strong enough to filter the knowledge that is not only based on senses but also derived with prudence.

He also likens this principle to a wax. Our senses can easily be deceived by the wax’s changing of its size, shape, and even color when it is melted or when it succumbs to a mixture of a foreign matter such as coloring. However, the mind will know that it is the same wax, composed of the same properties. Furthermore, physical objects are better understood by the mind than the senses because physical properties are always subject to change that leads our senses to merely predict or assume a certain truth but not really knowing.

However, when one uses the mind to examine things, the help of logic and reason will help us go beyond the physical properties and build a strong foundation of knowledge based on the manifestation of the existence of things.Bibliography:"Med1&2." Home | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. .