DESCARTES René: Meditations on the First Philosophy

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy

QUOTES FOR DISCUSSION

For although it is quite enough for us faithful ones to accept by means of faith the fact that the human soul does not perish with the body, and that God exists, it certainly does not seem possible ever to persuade infidels of any religion, indeed, we may almost say, of any moral virtue, unless, to being with, we prove these two facts by means of the natural reason. And inasmuch as often in this life greater rewards are offered for vice than for virtue, few people would prefer the right to the useful, were they restrained neither by the fear of God nor the expectation of another life; and although it is absolutely true that we must believe that there is a God, because we are so taught in the Holy Scriptures, and, on the other hand, that we must believe the Holy Scriptures because they come from God (the reason of this is, that, faith being a gift of God, He who gives the grace to cause us to believe other things can likewise give it to cause us to believe that He exists), we nevertheless could not place this argument before infidels, who might accuse us of reasoning in a circle.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 69

More than that, I am aware that the principal reason which causes many impious persons not to desire to believe that there is a God, and that the human should is distinct from the body, is that they declare that hitherto no one has been able to demonstrate these two facts;

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 70

- a method which is true is not novel, since there, since there is nothing more ancient that the truth, but the of which they were aware that I had made use successfully enough in other matters of difficulty - I have thought that it was my duty also to make trial of it in the present matter.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 70

…they are somewhat lengthy, and demand a mind wholly devoted to their consideration, they are only taken in and understood by a very limited number of persons. Similarly although I judge that those of which I have made use are equal to, or even surpass in certainty and evidence, the demonstrations of Geometry, I yet apprehend that they cannot be adequately understood by many, both because they are also a little lengthy and dependent the one on the other, and principally because they demand a mind wholly free of prejudices, and one which can be easily detached form the affairs of the sense.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 70

And truth to say, there are no so many in the world who are fitted for metaphysical speculations as there are for those of Geometry.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 70

And more than that; there is still this difference, that in Geometry, since each one is persuaded that nothing must be advanced of which there is not a certain demonstrating, those who are not entirely adept more frequently err in approving what is false, in order to give the impression that they understand it, than in refuting the true. But the case is different in philosophy where everyone believes that all is problematical, and few give themselves to the search after truth; and the greater number, in their desire to acquire a reputation for boldness of though, arrogantly combat the most important of truths

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 70

…atheists, who are usually more arrogant than learned or judicious, to rid themselves of their spirit of contradiction or lead them possibly themselves to defend the reasonings which they find being received as demonstrations by all persons of consideration, lest they appear not to understand them.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, letter to faculty, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 70

…I should never advise anyone to read it excepting those who desire to meditate seriously with me, and who can detach their minds from affairs of sense, and deliver themselves entirely form every sort of prejudice. I know too well that such men exist in a very small number. But for those who, without caring to comprehend the order and connections of my reasonings, form their criticisms on detached portions arbitrarily selected, as is the custom with many these, I say, will not obtain much profit from reading this Treatise. And although they perhaps in several parts find occasion of caviling, they can for all their pains make no objection which is urgent or deserving of reply.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, Preface to the Reader, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 72

This would mean to establishing the first place that all substances generally – that is to say all things which cannot exist without being created by God – are in their nature incorruptible, and that they can never cease to exist unless God, in denying them his concurrence, reduce them to nought; and secondly that body, regarded generally, is a substance, which is the reason why it also cannot perish, but that the human body inasmuch as it different from other bodies, is composed only a of a certain configuration of members and of other similar accidents, while the human mind is not similarly composed of any accidents, but is a pure substance.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, Synopsis of the Six Following Meditations, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 73

But as this enterprise appeared to be a very great one, I waited until I had attained an age so mature that I could not hope that at any later date I should be better fitted to execute my design. This reason caused me to delay so long that I should feel that I was doing wrong were I to occupy in deliberation the time that yet remains to me for action.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 1 Of the things which may be brought within the sphere of the doubtful, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 75

At the same time I must remember that I am a man, and that consequently I am in the habit of sleeping, and in my dreams representing to myself the same things or sometimes even less probable things, than do those who are insane in their waking moments. How often has it happened to me that in the night I dreamt that I found myself in this particular place, that I was dressed and seated near the fire, whilst in reality I was lying undressed in bed!

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 1 Of the things which may be brought within the sphere of the doubtful, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 75

Let us take, for example, this piece of was: it has been taken quite freshly from the hive, and it has not yet lost the sweetness of the honey which it contains; it still retains somewhat of the odour of the flowers from which it has been culled; its colour, its figure, its size are apparent; it is hard, cold, easily handles, and if you strike it with the finger, it will emit a sound. Finally all the things which are requisite to cause us distinctly to recognize a body, are met with in it. But notice that while I speak and approach the fire what remained of the taste is exhaled, the smell evaporates, the colour alters, the figure is destroyed, the size increases, it becomes liquid, it heats, scarcely can one handle it, and when one strikes it, no sound is emitted. Does the same wax remain after this change? We must confess that it remains; no one would judge otherwise. Wheat then did I know so distinctly in this piece of wax? I could certainly be nothing of all that the sense brought to my notice, since all these things which fall under taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing, are found to be changed, and yet the same wax remains.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 2 Of the Nature of the Human Mind; and that it is more easily known than the Body, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 80

By the name God I understand a substance that is infinite [eternal, immutable], independent, all-knowing, all-powerful, and by which I myself and everything else, if anything else does exist, have been created. Now all these characteristics are such that the more diligently I attend to them, the less do they appear capable of proceeding from me alone; hence, from what has already been said, we must conclude that God necessarily exists.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 3 Of God: that He exists, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 86

An further, although my knowledge grows more and more, nevertheless I do not for that reason believe that it can every be actually infinite, since it can never reach a point so high that it will be unable to attain to any greater increase. But I understand God to be actually infinite, so that He can add nothing to His supreme perfection.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 3 Of God: that He exists, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 87

And one certainly ought not to find it strange that God, in creating me, placed this idea within me to be like the mark of the workman imprinted on his work; and it is likewise not essential that the mark shall be something different from the work itself. For from the sole fact that God created me it is most probable that in some way he has placed his image and similitude upon me, and that I perceive this similitude (in which the idea of God is contained) by means of the same faculty by which I perceive myself – That is to say, when I reflect on myself I now only know that I am something [imperfect], incomplete and dependent on another, which incessantly aspires after something which is better and greater than myself, but I also know that He on whom I depend possesses in Himself all the great things towards which I aspire…

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 3 Of God: that He exists, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 88

And undoubtedly both divine grace and natural knowledge, far from diminishing my liberty, rather increase it and strengthen it. Hence this indifference which I feel, when I am not swayed to one side rather than to the other by lack of reason, is the lowest grade of liberty, and rather evinces a lack of negation in knowledge than a perfection of will: for if I always recognized clearly what was true and good I should never have trouble in deliberating as to what judgment or choice I should make and then I should be entirely free without ever being indifferent.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 4 Of the True and the False, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 91

This indeed is not at first manifest, since it would seem to present some appearance of being a sophism.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 5 Of the essence of material things, and, again of God: that He exists, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 94

… if I were ignorant of the facts of the existence of God, and thus I should have no true and certain knowledge, but only vague and vacillating opinions. Thus, for example, when I consider the nature of a [rectilinear] triangle, I who have some little knowledge of the principles of geometry recognize quite clearly that the three angles are equal to two right angles, and it is not possible for me not to believe this so long as I apply my mind to its demonstration; but so soon as I abstain from attending to the proof, although I still recollect having clearly comprehended it, it may easily occur that I come to doubt its truth, if I am ignorant of there being a God.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 5 Of the essence of material things, and, again of God: that He exists, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 95

… the first is that I never have believed myself to feel anything in waking moments which I cannot also sometimes believe myself to feel when I sleep, and as I do not think that these things which I seem to feel in sleep, proceed from objects outside of me, I do not see any reason why I should have this belief regarding objects which I seem to perceive while awake. The other was that being still ignorant, or rather supposing myself to be ignorant, of the author of my being, I saw nothing to prevent me from having been so constituted by nature that I might be deceived even in matters which seemed to me to be most certain.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 6 Of the Existence of Material Things, and of the real distinction between the Soul and body of Man, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 98

…if someone, while I was awake, quite suddenly appeared to me and disappeared as fast as do the images which I see in sleep, so that I could not know from whence the form came nor whither it went, it would not be without reason that I should deem it a spectre or a phantom formed by my brain [and similar to those which I form in sleep], rather than a real man. But when I perceive things as to which I know distinctly both the place from which they proceed, and that in which they are, and the time at which the appeared to me; and when, without any interruption, I can connect the perceptions which I have of them with the whole course of my life, I am perfectly assured that these perceptions occur while I am waking and not during sleep.

René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy, In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Boyd are Demonstrated, Meditation 6 Of the Existence of Material Things, and of the real distinction between the Soul and body of Man, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 103

Sir, Your endeavour to maintain the cause of the Author of all things against a new race of rebellious giants has sped so well, that henceforth men of worth may hope that in future there will be none who, after attentive study of your Meditations, will not confess that an eternal divine Being does exist, on whom all things depend.

René Descartes: Objections Urged by Certain Men of Learning Against the Preceding Meditations; With the Author’s Replies, The Second Set of Objections Collected by the Rev. Father Mersenne from the Utterances of Divers Theologians and Philosophers, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 116

Rev. Father Mersenne wrote:

Hence we have decided to draw your attention to certain passages noted beneath and to request you to shed such light upon them that nothing will remain in your work which, if at all demonstrable, is not clearly proved. For, since you have for so many years so exercised you mind by continual meditation, that matters which to others seem doubtful and obscure are to you most evident, and you perhaps know them by a simple intuitive act of mind, without noticing the indistinctness that the same fact have for others, it will be well to bring before you notice those things which need to be more clearly and fully explained and demonstrated.

René Descartes: Objections Urged by Certain Men of Learning Against the Preceding Meditations; With the Author’s Replies, The Second Set of Objections Collected by the Rev. Father Mersenne from the Utterances of Divers Theologians and Philosophers, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 116

Rev. Father Mersenne wrote:

Take this also, that while an Atheist knows clearly and distinctly that the three anglers of a triangle are equal to two right, yet he is far from believing in the existence of God; in fact he denies it, because if God existed there would be a supreme existence, a highest good, i.e. an infinite Being.

René Descartes: Objections Urged by Certain Men of Learning Against the Preceding Meditations; With the Author’s Replies, The Second Set of Objections Collected by the Rev. Father Mersenne from the Utterances of Divers Theologians and Philosophers, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 117

Rev. Father Mersenne wrote:

Fourthly, you deny that God lies or deceives; whereas some schoolmen may be found who affirm this. Thus Gabriel, Ariminesis, and others think that in the absolute sense of the expression God does utter falsehoods, i.e. what is the opposite of His intention and contrary to that which He has decreed; as when He unconditionally announced to the people of Nineveh through the Prophet, Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroy; and when in any other cases He declared things that by no means came to pass, because His words were not meant to correspond with His intention or His decree. But, if God could harden the heart of Pharaoh and blind his eyes, if He communicated to His Prophets a spirit of lying, whence do you conclude that we cannot be deceived by Him? May not God so deal with men as a physician treats his patients, or as a father his children, dissimulation of being employed in both cases, and that wisely and with profit? For if God showed to us His truth undimmed, what eyes what mental vision could endure it?

René Descartes: Objections Urged by Certain Men of Learning Against the Preceding Meditations; With the Author’s Replies, The Second Set of Objections Collected by the Rev. Father Mersenne from the Utterances of Divers Theologians and Philosophers, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 117

[Gabriel Biel, fifteenth century, “the last of the Scholastics.” Gregory of Rimini, fourteenth century.]

But I have used in my Meditations only analysis, which is the best and truest method of teaching. On the other hand, synthesis, doubtless the method you here ask me to use, though it very suitably finds a place after analysis in the domain of geometry, nevertheless cannot so conveniently be applied to these metaphysical matters we are discussing.

René Descartes: Objections Urged by Certain Men of Learning Against the Preceding Meditations; With the Author’s Replies, Reply to the Second Objections, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 128

…nothing in metaphysics causes more trouble than the making the perception of its primary notions clear and distinct. For, though in their own nature they are intelligible as, or even more intelligible than those the geometricians study, yet being contradicted by the many preconceptions of our sense to which we have since our earliest years been accustomed, they cannot be perfectly apprehended except by those who give strenuous attention and study to them, and withdraw their minds as far as possible from matters corporeal. Hence if they alone were brought forward it would be easy for anyone with a zeal for contradiction to deny them. This is why my writing took the form of Meditations rather than that of Philosophical Disputations or the theorems and problems of a geometer; so that hence I might by this very fact testify that I had no dealings except with those who will not shrink form joining me in giving the mater attentive care and meditation. For from the very fact that anyone girds himself up for an attack upon the truth, he makes himself less capable of perceiving the truth itself, since he withdraws his mind from the consideration of those reason that tend to convince him of it, in order to discover others that have the opposite effect.

René Descartes: Objections Urged by Certain Men of Learning Against the Preceding Meditations; With the Author’s Replies, Reply to the Second Objections, Great Books Volume 41, pg. 128