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René Descartes
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In this chapter the authors offer a new reading of Meditation I. First, there is no such thing as “the dream argument” to be found in it; Descartes offers two entirely distinct dream-centered arguments in Meditation I. Second, he never says that any of his three radical skeptical hypotheses—that he has no body, that he is being massively deceived by God, or by a Demon—is possible. The reason he does not do so is that those scenarios are incompatible with the necessary existence of God, which he thinks he has proven. Meditation I is a spectacularly successful rhetorical effort to get his readers to join him in his investigations.
Title: René Descartes
Description:
In this chapter the authors offer a new reading of Meditation I.
First, there is no such thing as “the dream argument” to be found in it; Descartes offers two entirely distinct dream-centered arguments in Meditation I.
Second, he never says that any of his three radical skeptical hypotheses—that he has no body, that he is being massively deceived by God, or by a Demon—is possible.
The reason he does not do so is that those scenarios are incompatible with the necessary existence of God, which he thinks he has proven.
Meditation I is a spectacularly successful rhetorical effort to get his readers to join him in his investigations.
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