Can someone give me some critical analysis and insight on Rene Descartes' Meditations?

Question

What do you think of Descartes' method of being doubtful of any idea that can be doubted?

Answer 1

http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/meditations/

First, I will summarize Descartes' First Meditation (the link is available on the web site provided):

Descartes believes that if one finds a reason for doubt in some belief, then it is necessary to find a better belief. Because there is so much information, he rationalizes that he can cast them in doubt if he finds reasons to doubt the foundations and basic principles of his beliefs.

All of one's knowledge comes from the senses, but the senses can deceive with small or distant objects. Overall, the senses are reliable, unless one is insane. However, dreams can seem very real, but they are drawn from real experiences. Though he can doubt composite things (like dreams), he cannot doubt the simple and universal parts from which they are constructed like shape, quantity, size, time, etc.

Even simple things can be doubted. God could make everything false and deceive us. If He were supremely good, he wouldn't deceive us one bit. And if there is no God, and we aren't created by a perfect being, then we have an even greater chance of being deceived.

Analysis:

The First Meditation is the introduction to the later meditations, where Descartes uses doubt to counter Aristotelian philosophy. Meditations tries to counter Aristotelian philosophy that had been set for over a thousand years. He tries to convince the Aristotelian philosophers to purge their prejudices in relying so much on the senses. Also, Meditations acts as the foundation of modern skepticism. The idea is not that these doubts are probable, but that their possibility can never be entirely ruled out. Thus, any idea (that has the possibility of being doubted) can be doubted. No one lives like a skeptic, doubting everything that exists (how could you live like that?). Descartes' doubt is a methodological and rational doubt, using solid reasons to back up his claims.

Answer 2

During his meditations, Descartes rejects everything that comes to his mind that he doubts, including his five senses. Then he realizes that if a supreme being (God) is planting the doubt in his mind, the supreme being is indeed fooling himself because he would too get rejected, and that would not be logical.

Why would God want to fool himself by creating the doubt to reject himself? Therefore, he concludes his thoughts spring from his own, and not from God. Hence, "I think, therefore I am."

It basically says since we can doubt God as a thought controller, we exist independent of God, otherwise God would be a fool to doubt himself, and that can't be.

Sartre builds on Descartes' theory, and concludes "existence precedes essence." He says it's not important what our essence is, what is important is what we make of our existence. He says: "We are our choices." Or, we make ourselves after we are born. He puts the burden on human's shoulder, and that's invaluable.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

He's considered the father of logic. I am a skeptic so I agree with him, doubt anything that can be doubted. He does not give up there though. He analyses the idea to verify it. I'll give him more. He knew the limits of logic. He is the one who said: the heart has its reasons that reason cannot comprehend. In french: Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne comprend pas.