Reading Study Questions 6: Meditations on First Philosophy
By “Meditation 5,” Descartes believes that he has proven that what he perceives “clearly and distinctly” is known with certainty. There’s no reason to question such ideas. What does it mean for an idea to be “clear and distinct”?
In “Meditation 5,” Descartes makes the case that analytic truths can be known with certainty. They should not be doubted. This includes the claim that a triangle’s “three angles are equal to two right angles” and that a triangle has three sides. On what basis does he regain trust in analytic claims of this nature?
In “Meditation 6,” Descartes claims that his mind is distinct from his body and that his mind can exist without the body. Still, he has much to say about how th wee mind and body relate to one another. What is something he says about this relationship between mind and body?
At the end of “Meditation 6,” what does Descartes say about the reliability of his senses?
