“Meditation on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God The Real Distinction of Mind and body are Demonstrated” was written by the late Rene Descartes.
6 Meditation topics were tackled by this book.
Meditation 1
The major subject in this meditation was a line, “Your senses can deceive you”. This points out that our senses can be a victim of deception which conceals the truth. In this meditation phase, the author found himself in a feeling of frustration, contemplation, or getting tricked by an evil entity. Thus, he thought deeply to win over the pessimistic mindset.
Meditation 2
In the second meditation stage, it emphasized more about representation or “representationalism” in more theoretic terms. It consisted of 5 steps that collectively reflected a separation of an individual’s mind from the world. This theory eventually resulted in the thought that the consciousness of a human being, in connection to its environment, implies its very existence.
Meditation 3
The third meditation stage focused on three basic forms of ideas: Volition or Desire, Feelings or Affections, and Judgement. Volition is having the capability to choose decisively. Meanwhile, feeling is the incidence of experiencing sentiments or emotions. Lastly, a judgment is an opinion or an initial thought after a moment of deliberation.
Meditation 4
Figuring out the truth and the opposite was the topic for the fourth meditation stage. He mentioned that the concept of will and understanding are liable to a fault. The definition of understanding is a state where a person gets a grasp of the actions around him/her. He explained that this concept was displayed by God oftentimes. Contrarily, the will is another concept that talks about a person having the ability to decisively choose an action or thought. If understanding comes very often, the concept of will, on the other hand, is showcased at extremes; whether holistically or nothing at all by the Almighty God,
Meditation 5
The 5th meditation centralizes of material objects wherein three arguments came about:
1. A perfect human being is nobody else but God.
2. Having no-fault is important to the upkeep of oneself.
3. The existence of God is a fact.
Meditation 6
Possibly, materials exist when we look at the external environment of both an individual and God’s. This somewhat speaks about such factors to be truthful and existent to say that God has created them.
Meditation 7
During the last meditation, the author arrives at three realities. First, there is a God who is infinite. Secondly, there is a soul. Thirdly, there are material elements or things. The second and the third are obtainable, however with limits or restrictions.
Inconsistencies were also distinguished during the author’s meditation process. He was puzzled as to why limbs can have a sense of feeling when under a surgical operation or why senses exist in dreams.
Read on Descartes’ Meditation on First Philosophy for best comprehension.
