In Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes presents a metaphysical system in which he expands his philosophical view of doubt. Descartes notes that he has been mistaken all along, even on matters he presumed to be certain. The author resolves to abandon his pre-conceptions acquired through the senses in a bid to rebuild his knowledge from scratch. However, the philosopher adopts a methodological doubt approach that allows him to question every new revelation, including his senses. He is scared that God and other spirits could manipulate and deceive him. A critical review of Descartes’ philosophical approach of doubt reveals definitive philosophical evidence of humans and God’s existence.
Descartes’ theory of doubt makes sense in literary all aspects of life except for the concept of existence. It dawns on him that doubt serves as the starting point to new knowledge and self-realization. It enables one to analyze situations and scenarios for the certainty of avoiding deceit. However, the philosopher realizes that his existence could not be subjected to doubt. He notes that one has to exist to think and doubt anything, which serves as proof and justification of his existence. Descartes reasons that the mind is superior to the body following the realization that he is an existing mass.
The pursuit of the truth leads Descartes to an inquiry about the true existence of God. He has to doubt every aspect of life except his existence, which he could experience and prove from within himself. Descartes reasons that he needs assurance about God’s existence to ascertain that the higher being does not influence his perceptions deceptively. The idea of God exists in the mind, making it uniquely perfect to be doubted. Hence, the philosopher believes in the existence of a perfect God who could not deceive anyone. However, errors, wrongs, and mistakes arise due to the limited nature of human intellect.
In overview, Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy centers on doubt as to the philosophical approach to self-realization and succinct knowledge of the truth. The philosopher advances the view that people can know the truth by casting doubt, as this serves as the basis for further exploration. Humans can seldom doubt their existence because one has to exist to be able to think. However, all other aspects of the world are subject to doubt for the certainty of truthful understanding.