How do we know what we know? Ideas reside in the minds of intelligent beings, but a clear perception of where these ideas come from is often the point of debate. It is with this in mind that Ren Descartes set forth on the daunting task to determine where clear and distinct ideas come from. A particular passage written in Meditations on First Philosophy known as the wax passage shall be examined. Descartes thought process shall be followed, and the central point of his argument discussed.In Meditations on First Philosophy, it is the self-imposed task of Descartes to cast doubt upon all which he knows in order to build a solid foundation of knowledge out of irrefutable truths. Borrowing an idea from Archimedes, that with one firm and immovable point the earth could be moved, Descartes sought one immovable truth. Descartes immovable truth, a truth on which he would lay down his foundation of knowledge and define all that which he knows, was the simple line Cogito ergo sum: I think, therefore I am. This allowed for his existence.Once Descartes recognizes the indubitable truth that he exists, he then attempts to further his knowledge by discovering the type of thing that he is. Trying to understand what he is, Descartes recalls Aristotles definition of a human as a rational animal. This is unsatisfactory since this requires investigation into the notions of rational and animal. Continuing his quest for identity, he recalls a more general view he previously had of his identity, which is that he is composed of both body and soul. According to classical philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, the key attributes of the soul involve eating, movement, and sensation. He cant claim to have these attributes of the soul since this involves a body, which, in turn, is based on the senses. Descartes continues examining other theories of human existence and attributes about himself that he can imagine. Descartes concludes that the attrib...
