Descartes 'First Mediation'

The following is a response to passage one that is an extract from Descartes “First mediation”. In the passage, Descartes reaches a point where he agrees that it is possible to doubt the truthfulness of all the things he at one point thought and felt as true and that, the decision is not a result of “frivolity or absence of forethought as said by Descartes”, but based on valid and considered reasons. The following is a description of some of the Descartes' ideas to claim that one can doubt all truths.
Knowledge results from one’s interaction with the environment around us. The fundamental source of knowledge is the perception and understanding of the things that happen in one’s social and physical environment using senses identifying all that …show more content…
Some form of knowledge does not need one to have prior experience. For example, a mature male person without a wife is a bachelor. One does not need to experience bachelorhood to know. It follows that one can in a theoretical manner know other things, but this does not imply that the knowledge is absolute. It depends on the example of course for example exact details as to what someone learns or studies in a university or medical school is not something everyone would know it’s not really shared knowledge just anyone so that would imply the opposite.
One can imagine that there exists a planet X. The process of imagination is valid, but the lack certainty of the existence of the imagined things makes one doubt their existence. In such a case, one cannot verify the imaginations using the senses. One would have to do research in order to determine if such a statement is true or not simply relying on imagination is not valid since the statement itself is quite …show more content…
For instance, with or without prior experience, all living things die. The fact that death occurs, whether in imagination, illusions, or dreams, makes such knowledge undoubtedly true. It’s a fact that whether it occurs anywhere in reality or imagination it’s known to be true something undeniable. It is essential to point out that, the cause of death or what happens afterward does not matter. The same case occurs on the existence of humans, that “I” whether I am dreaming or not, seeing an illusion, or experiencing things, I exist. That, I cannot doubt. But, of course there’s a doubt as to whether or not I’m in reality or not, but there’s a distinct difference in regards to absolute knowledge or limited knowledge.
In a nutshell, one can doubt most of the previously held beliefs and not believe any of it. The doubt results from the fact that senses are deceptive but also there are certain facts that don’t require much logic thinking, but rather common sense to see that it’s reality and not simply another illusion. One can experience illusions or dream about things something all human beings share, but of course one should draw a line between reality and deceptions i.e. illusions, mirages etc. Besides, one can imagine things, and this may or may not be true like in the case of