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Sean Tarjoto Individual & Society III
Prof. Robinson 9/13/00

Meditation 2 - What is Descartes managing to get himself out of doubt?

Descartes asserts his existence in order to negate at least one fundamental doubt, that he does not exist.  Given that all is uncertainty (that the only certainty is “that there is nothing certain in the world”), there is nothing to say there is not “some other thing” different from those judged to be certain. The exception to uncertainty is the self, and Descartes says, “I am, I exist.” to assert this notion. It is furthermore self-evident; by creating the notion one exists, that one is, there is nothing to prove that one does not exist. It is true “every time [Descartes chooses to] express it or conceive of it in [his] mind”. Nothing cannot discredit this notion, even the presence of an omnipotent evil deceiver is powerless to allow Descartes to doubt his existence. “Let him deceive me as much as he likes, he can never cause me to be nothing, so long as I think I am something.” (and the evil deceiver must allow Descartes to exist to deceive him, for whatever purpose, but he cannot negate his existence by asserting a doubt over self, or else Descartes does not exist to be deceived). The assertion of self slices a fundamentally important issue of doubt aside, and is followed