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Essay: Descartes’ Sixth Meditation: Understanding vs. Imagination

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  • Published: 1 April 2019*
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In part one of the sixth Meditation in Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes questions if the body does exist and whether the existing body should trust its innate senses. Descartes opens the sixth meditation questioning the existence of material things, but is quick to ascertain their existence. Material objects do exist since they are subjects of pure mathematics and can be perceived clearly. Descartes states, “there is no doubt that God is capable of creating everything that I am capable of perceiving,” God is the almighty creator, he can create everything that man is capable of imaging,” (Cottingham, 57). It is possible for material things to exist because it is possible to clearly and distinctively conceive of them. Descartes presents two arguments in this meditation: the difference between imagination and pure understanding, and the senses.

Understanding turns towards the contents of the mind, and imagination looks outwards to the perception of material objects. As a result, for both imagination and understanding to take place the object must exist. For example, “when I imagine a triangle, I do not merely understand that it is a figure bounded by three lines, but at the same time I also see the three lines with my mind’s eye as if they were present before me,” (57) but this is only possible due to the simplicity of the shape itself. You can imagine a triangle through your mathematical understanding of a triangle itself, but can this concept can be applied to something more complex, like a thousand-sided figure. As Descartes says, “if I want to think of a chiliagon, although I understand that it is a figure consisting of a thousand sides just as well as I understand the triangle to be a three-sided figure, I do not, in the same way, imagine the thousand sides or see them as if they were present before me.” (58) Mathematically, it is possible to understand the existence of a thousand-sided figure, it is nearly impossible to imagine said figure. This is due to the limitations of the imagination of one’s mind. The mind cannot imagine something you have no reference to, the mind cannot differentiate between an thousand-sided figure or a nine hundred sided figure because it has no reference point to verify the object with, As a result, it is possible for understanding to exist without imagination, but not imagination without understanding. The act of understanding is a self-reflectors act, looking inward whereas imagination is looking out of the body and towards the world. It is impossible to imagine something that the mind has no conception of, imagination relies on the frame of reference of the mind, the prior experiences and teachings the mind has taken in. For example, the mind cannot imagine a new colour, it understands different colours and the differences between them but cannot imagine a new colour. Thus, imagination cannot be the sole property of the mind, meaning imagination must rely on something other than the mind for its existence. Imagination is a property that is connected to the body which in turn allows the mind to picture material objects.

The existence of the body in the world itself is questionable, as there is no proof of existence.  There is no definite proof that the body exists, but it can be summed down to “I think, therefore I am.” The mind is one of the most mathematical components of the human body, as a result it can be relied on to affirm the existence of the body. The body is made up of five senses: sight, taste, feel, hearing, and smell, and these senses can attest to the existence of the body. Senses are a proof of existence in the world. For example, I feel hunger, pain, pleasure or emotion, but at the same time I sense other bodies in the world through their presence in my senses, their shape, movement, smell, colour and so forth. The senses of a body do not come from the outside world, but rather naturally, this is what comes from within, and involuntary action or reaction of the body. For example, nobody is taught that the smell of warm food is inviting but the body tends to react, the smell of a pasta dinner may bring back memories of past meals or remind the body of its own need for food. As Descartes states, “since the ideas perceived by the senses were much more lively and vivid and even, in their own way, more distinct than any of those which I deliberately formed through meditating or which I found impressed on my memory,” (59) the use of senses comes first and then the imagination and mind come into play. It is the senses that address the world first then are perceived and broken down by our mind into understanding and knowledge. As a result, our senses can be coined as second nature to the body, something that comes to us without much thought or effort.

Descartes touches on the complexity of the five senses and the dream world and how it all changes our perception of the world. The real world, as we perceive through our senses can in turn be an elaborate dream, it can all be a deception. If we accept that the real world is just another dream, the mind must find the imperfections of the dreams in comparison to the ‘real’ real world. Descartes implies that if we dream a dream given to us by God we can use “simple and universal” concepts of the ‘real’ real world, such as math, as helpers for detecting a dream. The creator may be an omnipotent God, capable of creating a deceptive dream for us, which is as perfect as the real world.

There are many problems with this argument, and the understanding of senses themselves. The human body has five primary senses: visions, taste, feel, hearing and smell, but can all five of these senses be trusted? Or can they all be trusted with equal reliance? What is the reliability of senses? In order to trust your senses, you need reason to trust your senses. This trust is based on the fact that your senses have never failed you before. But take, for instance, vision, you had trouble seeing a word written on the board you either ask for clarification or get your eyes checked out by a doctor. Our trust in our senses is unbreakable until there is a disruption and we must consult an exterior mind to help us understand this disruption. As a result, we find ourselves looking for an aid such as glasses or hearing aids to help our senses reach their full potential. On the other hand, Descartes can counter this argument with the concept of God being incapable of creating a faulty thing. In order to trust your senses, you need reason to trust your senses. The fact that God has created the body, and senses are second nature to the body, it is impossible for God to create a faulty being, or create fault in the natural body. The sensations of the body are proof to the existence of the body; Thus God will not deceive its people. Our sensations are vivid and strong, but it is because we have a natural tendency to believe that God could not have given you a natural tendency to believe as faulty. God is the almighty creator and he would not make you believe in something that is wrong or misinforming, as a result, trusting the senses is not wrong or bad. Our senses have a reliability and we should be able to trust our senses.

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