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Mind and Body
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René Descartes’s philosophical method centers on using logical reasoning to achieve certain, systematic knowledge. As a result, readers might find it strange that he wrote the Meditations as a first-person story about a Meditator immersed in thought, rather than a direct philosophical treatise explaining and proving his views. What’s more, he covered many of the same ideas in his earlier work Discourse on the Method and his later textbook Principles of Philosophy, but the Meditations actually remains far more popular today. Clearly, its distinctive narrative flair has somehow captured its readers’ attention. Indeed, Descartes presented the Meditations as a series of essayistic soliloquies in part because he believed this would bring the reader along with his Meditator’s logic, step by step, and convince them of his conclusions more thoroughly. But he also did so for another notable reason: he thought that the discipline, sustained attention, and reasoning skills involved in actually doing philosophical inquiry would help his readers, and he wanted to show them how to do it. After all, his Meditator concludes that achieving certain knowledge in everyday life requires systematically assessing one’s perceptions with the intellect, in order to make them as clear and distinct as possible. (For instance, rather than simply reacting instinctively to pain, people should try to understand where it’s coming from and why.) This is also why Descartes describes the Meditator thinking through each chapter of the book per day, rather than doing it all at once: he wants to show how a sustained, thorough routine of contemplation can help people achieve intellectual progress and digest complex ideas at an accessible pace. In short, then, Descartes uses the Meditator’s intellectual journey as a model for showing his readers how they can use the tools of philosophy to become better, more enlightened people.
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Intellectual Discipline ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Intellectual Discipline appears in each chapter of Meditations on First Philosophy. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Intellectual Discipline Quotes in Meditations on First Philosophy
Below you will find the important quotes in Meditations on First Philosophy related to the theme of Intellectual Discipline.
Preface to the Reader Quotes
I would not urge anyone to read this book except those who are able and willing to meditate seriously with me, and to withdraw their minds from the senses and from all preconceived opinions. Such readers, as I well know, are few and far between.
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In his Preface, Descartes instructs his readers about how to approach Meditations. He declares that they must give his arguments the serious consideration they deserve by doing as his Meditator does: confronting the radical possibility that nothing they see is real, suspending their preconceived beliefs, and then rebuilding their worldview by only accepting ideas that they can know with absolute certainty. He doesn’t just want his readers to follow his arguments and agree with his conclusions—he wants them to “meditate seriously with” his Meditator. The best way to read his book is extremely slowly, taking ample time after each chapter Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia sol
First Meditation Quotes
I will suppose therefore that […] some malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me. I shall think that the sky, the air, the earth, colours, shapes, sounds and all external things are merely the delusions of dreams which he has devised to ensnare my judgement. I shall consider myself as not having hands or eyes, or flesh, or blood or senses, but as falsely believing that I have all these things. I shall stubbornly and firmly persist in this meditation; and, even if it is not in my power to know any truth, I shall at least do what is in my power, that is, resolutely guard against assenting to any falsehoods, so that the deceiver, however powerful and cunning he may be, will be unable to impose on me in the slightest degree.
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In the First Meditation, the Meditator imagines that he is insane or dreaming, which allows him to reject all of his specific sense perceptions about the world. He suspends his belief in the existence of the things he sees, feels, smells, and so on—but at this stage, he still has enough information to believe in basic mathematical truths, like the properties of different shapes. So he next asks whether these basic truths can be subjected to doubt, too. This leads him to the famous “malicious demon” thought experiment: what if a being far more powerful than him is controlling all Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labo
Second Meditation Quotes
So serious are the doubts into which I have been thrown as a result of yesterday’s meditation that I can neither put them out of my mind nor see any way of resolving them. It feels as if I have fallen unexpectedly into a deep whirlpool which tumbles me around so that I can neither stand on the bottom nor swim up to the top.
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In the First Meditation, the Meditator entertained a series of skeptical hypotheses—thought experiments that suppose that what seems real actually is not. These hypotheses led him to temporarily set aside virtually all of his old beliefs, on the grounds that he could no longer be absolutely certain that they are true. So far, so good: as he pointed out at the very beginning of the First Meditation, he cannot have certain knowledge about anything unless he first discards everything that he finds it possible to doubt. In the Second Meditation, the Meditator starts hunting for this fundamental kernel of certain knowledge Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut.
Third Meditation Quotes
But before examining this point more carefully and investigating other truths which may be derived from it, I should like to pause here and spend some time in the contemplation of God; to reflect on his attributes, and to gaze with wonder and adoration on the beauty of this immense light, so far as the eye of my darkened intellect can bear it. For just as we believe through faith that the supreme happiness of the next life consists solely in the contemplation of the divine majesty, so experience tells us that this same contemplation, albeit much less perfect, enables us to know the greatest joy of which we are capable in this life.
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At the end of the Third Meditation, after completing his first proof for the existence of God, the Meditator gives this explanation for why he will take a break from developing new arguments—but not necessarily from meditating—until tomorrow. This may seem like an unusual shift in tone for a book so focused on logical proofs, but actually, it’s perfectly consistent with the Meditator’s arguments so far. He has repeatedly argued that people cannot sustainably learn new truths unless they consider and reflect on them over time—just like students who cram for a test and then forget everything they learned, philosophers Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Ac
Fourth Meditation Quotes
If, however, I simply refrain from making a judgement in cases where I do not perceive the truth with sufficient clarity and distinctness, then it is clear that I am behaving correctly and avoiding error. But if in such cases I either affirm or deny, then I am not using my free will correctly. If I go for the alternative which is false, then obviously I shall be in error; if I take the other side, then it is by pure chance that I arrive at the truth, and I shall still be at fault since it is clear by the natural light that the perception of the intellect should always precede the determination of the will. In this incorrect use of free will may be found the privation which constitutes the essence of error.
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After explaining that people make mistakes by using their free will to act on incomplete information, the Meditator outlines how people can use their free will more responsibly. He emphasizes that, while the intellect enables us to know things that we achieve absolute certainty about, the free will still gives us the power to accept or reject premises that are less certain. When we understand things by having clear and distinct perceptions about them, the intellect overwhelms the free will, and we cannot take back that understanding, no matter how hard we try. For instance, the Meditator could never use Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hi
Today I have learned not only what precautions to take to avoid ever going wrong, but also what to do to arrive at the truth. For I shall unquestionably reach the truth, if only I give sufficient attention to all the things which I perfectly understand, and separate these from all the other cases where my apprehension is more confused and obscure. And this is just what I shall take good care to do from now on.
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At the end of the Fourth Meditation, Descartes summarizes the central lesson in his analysis of truth and error: the best way to avoid serious mistakes is by ensuring that we only act on information that’s absolutely certain, and the only way to ensure that our knowledge is absolutely certain is by making sure that we only choose to believe in our clear and distinct perceptions. Of course, this conclusion sheds new light on Descartes’s overall intellectual project in Meditations. Namely, it helps explain why he cares so much about refining our knowledge in a disciplined way until it is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam offic
Sixth Meditation Quotes
In these cases and many others I see that I have been in the habit of misusing the order of nature. For the proper purpose of the sensory perceptions given me by nature is simply to inform the mind of what is beneficial or harmful for the composite of which the mind is a part; and to this extent they are sufficiently clear and distinct. But I misuse them by treating them as reliable touchstones for immediate judgements about the essential nature of the bodies located outside us; yet this is an area where they provide only very obscure information.
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After establishing that his body exists, the Meditator tries to lay out some basic principles about how the body works and what his sense perceptions mean. He makes a subtle but powerful argument: sense perceptions aren’t supposed to give us specific, reliable information about the external world. Rather, they’re supposed to merely send a signal to the mind so that the mind can further investigate whatever’s in question. While it’s tempting to think of vision as a typical example of sense perception, the Meditator suggests that a better starting point would be the feeling of pain. Pain doesn’t reveal exactly Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi a
Accordingly, I should not have any further fears about the falsity of what my senses tell me every day; on the contrary, the exaggerated doubts of the last few days should be dismissed as laughable. This applies especially to the principal reason for doubt, namely my inability to distinguish between being asleep and being awake. […] But since the pressure of things to be done does not always allow us to stop and make such a meticulous check, it must be admitted that in this human life we are often liable to make mistakes about particular things, and we must acknowledge the weakness of our nature.
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Descartes’s Meditations ends with the Meditator reaffirming his newfound certainty in the reality of the exterior world, encouraging readers to be careful about what they choose to believe in, and admitting that it’s impossible to ever be completely certain about such choices because of “the weakness of our [human] nature.” Of course, he’s just summarizing Descartes’s primary message: we must be aware of the different levels of certainty and doubt that correspond to our different beliefs, and if we want to know anything about the world scientifically, we must hold ourselves to a very high standard. By analyzing the fundamental Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui simil
