Descartes Deception Of False Beliefs

In his first meditation, Descartes decides to get rid of any false beliefs. All of his past beliefs were built on his senses, which have deceived him in the past. Despite this deception, Descartes expresses how there could be things learned through his senses that he cannot doubt, such as himself. He recalls how even his dreams have deceived him before, making him believe that he is sitting near a fire, when in reality he is asleep in bed. An obscured line between waking life and sleep forms, but Descartes says that waking life is much more distinct and palpable than sleep. He believes that figures imagined by the mind, seen in dreams, or designed in paintings are not created by completely new natures but by things people have seen before. …show more content…
Descartes is a devout christian, but even he begins to wonder if he is being deceived by God. However, he quickly abandons this notion and says that because God is supremely good, Descartes knows that God would not purposefully deceive him. In order to obtain resolution in his thoughts, Descartes creates a scenario in which all of his past beliefs are false. He says to suppose that there is no supremely good God but instead an evil demon, who tries to deceive him all the time. Everything Descartes sees is not real, instead it is an elaborate illusion set forth by the evil demon. Descartes may not be able to know the truth, but this will allow him to not fall for what is false.
In his second meditation, Descartes expresses that everything he sees is not real and that his memories, senses, or physical surroundings cannot be trusted. For a moment, Descartes doubts his own existence, questioning whether it is he who controls his own thoughts or if it is a higher power, God, who has control over him. Descartes also denies the notion of body, sense, and mind; he almost denies his entire existence but resolves this statement by saying that if an evil demon is trying to deceive him then he must