Certainty and Deception

Paper Summary:

The paper describes Cervantes' "Don Quixote" as a groundbreaking satire, critique and novel on the understanding of the power of deception. The paper also examines "Meditations on First Philosophy" where Descartes believes he must doubt everything that might deceive him. The paper illustrates how both writers are acutely aware of the power of deception, as humans can easily be deceived. The paper explains that despite the recognized deception in the world, Descartes and Cervantes both maintain that one thing can be known for certain and that is the existence of the self.

From the Paper:

"Descartes, from the very beginning of his Meditations on First Philosophy makes clear the power of deception. In the first meditation he reflects on how "we may doubt in general of all things" and further expounds on the ability for the senses to deceive (Descartes 7). This seems to hint that we cannot know things for certain; because how can we know things for certain if our senses will deceive us? To Descartes, he must doubt everything and he cannot trust his imagination, for instance. Things he thought he knew for certain must be doubted, and this hints to suggest that Descartes not only believes in the power of deception, but also that things cannot be known with certainty."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cervantes, Muguel De. Don Quixote. http://www.online-literature.com/cervantes/don_quixote/. 11 Apr. 2007 <The Literature Network>.
• Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy. Filepedia. 11 Apr. 2007 <http://www.filepedia.org/node/3>.

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• Analytical Essay # 37610 : "The Taming of the Shrew" and Deception"
• Analytical Essay # 54221 : "The Arabian Nights"
• Analytical Essay # 4527 : "Servitude and Deception in "Dr. Faustus"

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