nobstacle to his beliefs. Even up close, dreams can beindubitable. Descartes believes that if a person has had adream that was so intense that the person could notdetermine it form reality, then they have reason to doubtobjects that are close to us and appear to be indubitable. In order to resolve this problem, Descartes suggests thatone must examine whether they are dreaming or not.Descartes realizes that he can not rely on his sensesanymore to give him dubitable truths. He turns to findsomething that is indubitable. Descartes tries to usescience as a foundation for truth. He discards physics,astronomy, and medicine because all three of them rely uponthe senses. “...we shall not be wrong in concluding thatphysics, astronomy, and medicine, and all the other sciencesthat depend on the consideration of composite things, aremost doubtful and uncertain...”(Descartes 98). However,Descartes finds that such things as geometry and arithmeticcan be trusted because their are no senses involved. Theyare based upon logic. “...whether I am awake or asleep, two and threeadded together always makes five, and a squarealways has four sides; and it does not seempossible that truths so apparent can be suspectedof any falsity or uncertainty”(98).However, Descartes finds reason to even doubt this. The only thing that could makes these truths dubitable isthrough the intervention by an Evil Deceiver (God). Descartes cannot prove that God is good and has toacknowledge that God has the power to deceive. Therefore,Descartes must doubt all things until he can prove theircertainty. Descartes comes to call this doubt UniversalDoubt.In the Second Meditation, Descartes examine theexistence of himself. He concludes that if he cannot provesomething exists then how does he know with certainty thathe exists. It is his doubt of his existence that Descartesuses to prove his existence. Descartes realizes that if heis able to doubt then ...
