Paper Summary:

The paper focuses on the Sixth of Rene Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy" where Descartes claims that: "It is certain that I am really distinct from my body, and can exist without it" (Descartes 2002, p.17). This paper reveals that this claim is made as but one stage in a complex argument that began from a position of radical scepticism, and moved towards a proof for the existence of material things and ultimately God. The premises that underlie this claim are critically examined in order to better understand the dualism that lies at the core of Descartes' thinking.

From the Paper:

"In the Sixth of his "Meditations on First Philosophy", Rene Descartes claims that: "it is certain that I am really distinct from my body, and can exist without it" (Descartes 2002, p.17). As this essay will reveal, this claim is made as but one stage in a complex argument that began from a position of radical scepticism, and moved towards a proof for the existence of material things and ultimately God. The premises that underlie this claim will be critically examined in order to better understand the dualism that lies at the core of Descartes' thinking."

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