Descartes, who wrote Meditations on First Philosophy, intrigues his reader to this day with his ability to untangle the idea of our very existence. Descartes starts this by doubting everything to remove any misperception he might have coming into this meditation. He believes that once all his prior beliefs are in doubt, then truth can emerge. He reflects upon the fact that everything he once knew may not be true, so he had to start fresh by eliminating preconceptions. After this, Descartes realized that the very fact that he doubts, then thinks about thinking, proves that he exists. If he stops thinking, then he stops breathing. He believes he not only exists, but that he is a thinking thing.
Descartes describes a thinking thing as an entity that doubts, affirms, denies, understands, is willing, is unwilling, and has sensory perceptions (page, 175). To explain his reasoning behind why he believes that he is a thinking thing, he gives a definition of thought. Thought, he describes, is anything marked by awareness or consciousness. This includes such things as reasoning, doubting, hoping, dreading, and willing. He described his unrest about thought in a whole, but came to the conclusion that every thought, no matter how unreliable, proves he exists as a thinking thing. He was more confident with this than whether he had a body, and concludes “I think therefore I am”. The very fact that he thinks proves that he must exist.
Descartes briefly mentions that he might be “more” than a thinking thing. He believes that because he thinks this proves he exists. But, thoughts cannot exist by themselves. Something has to think them in order for them to exist. Thoughts cannot exist independently, so whether that be a mind or a body that carries that thought, more has to exist. So in this sense, he believes he may be more than a thinking being.
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Through his writing, Descartes has proved and reiterated many times that he is in fact a thinking thing. He does this by explaining his reasoning and logic, but then goes on to say, ‘So our knowledge of our thought is prior to, and more certain than, our knowledge of any corporeal thing; for we have already perceived it, although we are still in doubt about many other things’ (Page, 178). Through this statement he proves that as far as he knows, he is a thinking thing. He does not think that he has proved that he is only a thinking thing.
The wax is an example to describe the fundamental nature of bodies, and also to argue that knowledge of these comes through our mind alone, not our senses. He describes this wax as freshly taken from the honeycomb and it has a distinct taste of honey that also includes color, shape and size.
He then puts the wax by the fire and the smell, taste, and color changes, but then he realizes that the wax is undoubtedly still wax. The reason is that none of those qualities mentioned tells us about the wax’s fundamental nature. In other words, the wax is an item. When put by the fire, it changes its shape and color. With those changes, the wax continues to be wax and it does not change the fact that it is wax in the same way that humans think many ideas, but it is still a human.
Descartes connects this to the concept of his mind and his being. In this, he tries to explain that the “I” is something that thinks but also imagines and senses things. However, Descartes knows that the senses cannot be trusted because they could be deceived and that imagination cannot even be trusted. Descartes wrestles with this. If he is a thinking thing, why is he having such a hard time discovering what it is that “I” thinks? To do this, he thinks about how he comes to know a simple piece of wax, whether it be through senses or in other ways.
This encouraged me to consider my own thoughts about thinking. Generally speaking, when someone is talking about thinking, the person is considering a process being done in the brain that uses the mind to consider and reason about something. When Descartes describes thinking, he is referring to anything that is marked by awareness or consciousness. This is not only reasoning, but sensing, willing, believing, and dreading.
There are a few aspects that I somewhat disagree with Descartes, particularly with what is considered thinking. He believes such things as willing and sensing are thinking. I disagree because to me, thinking is using brain power to use rationale, or to make a decision. Willing something to happen is more of a show of convincing or manipulation. You might have to use some thought to come up with those maneuvers, but it is not thinking only. To sense something, is not thinking. For example, if I sensed someone was behind me, I felt their presence, or noticed a movement around me. I might have used some thought or brain exertion while making these observations, but it also involved sensing, which involves more than what Descartes calls “thinking”.
I believe that certain activities such as listening to music, experiencing pain, and dreaming contain some level of thinking. I would also argue that just because it involves some thought does not suggest that thinking is the only experience. Even though the person may be thinking of the lyrics, the pain, and the dream, he/she may simultaneously be tapping out the beat, feeling the pain, and using unconscious thought in dreams. These activities go beyond just thought.
Descartes endorses the idea that the mind and body exist independently. It is often described that the mind is a nonphysical, non-spatial substance and there is nothing further than thought and for the body nothing more than an extension. This could be seen in God’s creation of humans. When God created mind, he would not need to create bodies, and vice versa. By God doing this, it shows that the mind and body can exist separately. Descartes of course does not mean that God is spontaneously creating minds and bodies, he means that the nature of minds and bodies exist independently.
Descartes continues to defend his stance by arguing that the mind, unlike the body doesn’t have any seperate parts and can’t be divided. He thinks with his whole mind. In contrast, the body does have different parts, that can be lost such as a hand. So, mind and body are entirely separate things, but both do exist.
Just because Descartes thinks his mind can exist without his body, does not mean that it’s true. If the mind is the body, then it cannot exist independently of the body. This is because, if the mind is the same thing as the body, then they are the same. However, if their fundamental nature differs, then they are different. Descartes believes that the mind is independent of the body because he can think of it existing without the body. But, if the mind can exist without the body, then it can’t be the same thing as the body.
There is also difficulty because of mental illnesses. Descartes argues that the mind doesn’t have parts, but with mental illnesses such as multiple personality disorder, the person demonstrates a division in thought process. Descartes would struggle to describe this, as well as psychosis which can involve intrusive hallucinations in the mind.
Descartes has some valid points about thinking, although his idea of the separation of mind and body seem extreme at times. I do not believe that they are two entirely separate entities, perhaps they can seemingly operate separately, but often they function in conjunction with each other, as in feeling the beat while thinking of the lyrics.
I also think that his famous “I think therefore I am” is very interesting and still relevant in this modern time. If you are not thinking you are not living. So when you die, your brain stops imagining and questioning things, yet while living, you will be thinking, which will always tell you that “I am”.
Another point that Descartes makes that is relevant today is the idea of doubting and eliminating preconceptions and ideas. This helps us to strive for new knowledge and consider new ideas. It also helps to question widely accepted beliefs. At one time, people thought the earth was flat. By doubting this and seeking truth, people discovered the earth is not flat. As humans, we should have some level of doubt. For example, if someone tells you an idea is “bad”, you should not believe them straight away. You should question, doubt and investigate. Through this, truth emerges just as it did for Descartes and can today for modern man. The Meditations on First Philosophy of Descartes will continue to intrigue people in contemporary times due to its relevance and impact.
