Essay on Only the Mind Perceives - 669 Words

Only the Mind Perceives Descartes overall objective in Meditations on First Philosophy is to question knowledge. To explore such issues as the existence of God and the separation of mind and body, it was important for him to distinguish what we can know as truth. He believed that reason as opposed to experience was the source for discovering what is of absolute certainty. In Meditation Two, Descartes embarks on his journey of truth. I find, in Meditation Two that Descartes has accomplished part of his journey, in that only the intellect perceives the material world. Attempting to affirm the idea that God exists, Descartes comes upon the notion that he exists. He discovers that if he can both persuade himself of something,†¦show more content†¦It is the intellect that perceives the physical ever-changing world. A scepitc might pose the argument that we could not be certain that the intellect alone perceives the material world. Let us look at the Wax Argument. If one were to place wax in its form, straight from the comb, and wax in its melted form side by side, a person not knowing this would not be able to perceive the melted form to be wax. It would take closer examination, with our senses, to determine the melted form to be wax. Such as touching the wax and feeling the sensation of it hardening on our fingertips and examining it more closely with our sight. One may also say that we might use our memories to remember the sensation of melted wax. On can remember the sensation of hot wax from a candle, when dropped on the skin and how the wax feels once it has hardened. Again, one might conclude that it is not the intellect alone that perceives the wax, but possibly a combination of the senses, memory, and the intellect. Someone being a scepitc might also say it is possible that the wax itself is sending us the idea. There is no way to be certain. Descartes demonstrates how the ideas of the mind are more attune to finding knowledge, than the senses. What is this piece of wax which is perceived only by the mind (22)? Descartes comes to the understanding that even though the wax has changed its form, that it is flexible and mutable, it is the same wax. Although he previously thoughtShow MoreRelatedCalifornia s Immaterialism And His Usage Of God1288 Words   |  6 Pagesexist only in the mind, but at the same time require us to perceive to them in order to exist. God, as an omnipresent, being holds the power to perceive all things all of the time, and as such is used by Berkeley as solution to this potential problem in his immaterialism. This essay looks to explain Berkeley’s account of why this is the case. First the essay explains why Berkeley rejects materialism, as he does not believe matter exists. Next we see that God’s omnipresence allows him to perceive allRead MoreBerkeleys Subjective Idealism1412 Words   |  6 PagesDifferent philosophers have different ontologies, for instance some philosophers, such as Locke, believe that objects have primary and secondary qualities and that those objects exist independent of our mind and are composed of a substance that they call â€Å"matter†. Berkeley’s â€Å"subjective idealist† ontology, which may seem unreasonable to most at first, is strong enough to counter most objections. The main thesis of this essay will be presenting Berkeley’s ontology and what he argues for, explainingRead MoreA Treatise Concerning The Principles Of Human Knowledge1368 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Esse est percipi†. To be is to perceive, and to exist and to be perceived are one and the same. 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