How Does Descartes Argument That Material Things Exist

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In his sixth meditation found in the text Meditations on Philosophy, Descartes argues that material things exist and that there is a definite distinction between the mind and body. He forms a strong supposition that material objects exist because they fall under the subject of mathematics, which contain truth that he thoroughly understands. Descartes then states his two arguments for the existence of material things, one based on senses and the other on the faculty of imagination. He starts off by defining imagination and distinguishing it from understanding. He uses the example of a triangle, he can identify that it is three-sided and name all kinds of other characteristics using only his understanding. Descartes can also identify these …show more content…

The strategy demonstrated in Meditations distinctly displays the existence of body through reason. He states he can clearly and distinctly identify the primary characteristics of bodies are extension. He argues that the ones senses and imagination are supposed to reveal that his intellect seems to be linked to an external source. He then goes on to say that imagination and sensory perception are merely modes of thought. As stated earlier, Descartes would still be the same without his imagination or sensory perception, or they are not part of his essence, however, these modes of thought couldn’t be without a mind to hold them. Sensory perception is a passive faculty, or a mode of thought that is only activated when an external source stimulates it. The cause could be from other bodies surrounding our own, some other entity capable of creating these perceptions or it could be God. Descartes states that he is naturally inclined to believe that sensory perceptions originate from things which resemble those perceptions, and if they were to be caused by something else he would be deceived. He believes God is not a deceiver, therefore He would not have misled René into believing in material object when in fact they do not exist. This leads him to conclude that material objects have to

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