Descartes method of doubt comes from his ability to reason that in his adulthood, there

are many false opinions that are brought on by customs, traditions, etc. It is a push for
skepticism. Although those opinions were doubtful and had shaky foundations, they were being
built upon as he grew older (Descartes 59). People had different opinions, but there wasnt any
solid information to back up the foundation of their argument. Descartes reasoned that he wanted
to find a firm foundation in which there was no doubt and was built upon a solid foundation to
find the truth. He believed that if people used this method to learn, there would be less
conflicting opinions (Descartes 59).
In trying to find a new set of foundations to start again with that could not be doubted,
Descartes thought about a variety of different subjects. One of those he mentioned was our
senses. Our senses are deceptive, so we cannot put complete trust in them (Descartes 60). An
example he used was dreaming. Dreaming is equally as real as reality. In dreams, we can still
see, hear and use the rest of our senses. So how do we know were not somewhere else, but in
reality? Because one cant prove one case or another, both cases have to be thrown out. There
needs to be absolute certainty to be the foundation (Descartes 60).
Ultimately, Descartes says we can be sure of one idea. The idea that we can be sure of is
that there exists a thinking mind. We can be sure of that because regardless of everything else,
we are still thinking and have thought processes. In that, we know objects through reason and
rationality (Descartes 64). The mind is the best way to get knowledge since we cant completely
trust our senses. Descartes method of doubt for finding the truth is by going back to the
foundations of what cant be doubted. The best way of finding truth is by rejecting all our
previously held opinions. By doing that, we can build upon a stable foundation.

The best way of finding truth is not by rejecting all previously held opinions. By rejecting
all previously held opinions and starting with a basic foundation that cannot be doubted gets rid
of many ideas. Its eliminating a lot of thoughts of questioning ideas which is what a thinking
mind does. Also, by only including ideas that he can be sure of limits the scope of what can be
believed. Does that mean having new discoveries and asking questions that cannot be proven yet
is not to be thought of? One has to be unsure of something to doubt it and with that doubt,
eventually prove that idea that one has.
Another point he makes is not being able to trust our senses. Because one of our senses
cannot be trusted completely, does that mean we should not trust them at all? Senses play a
significant role into how we perceive things and are integrated into having experiences.
Descartes mentioned that we cannot be sure of what whats actually there, but we can be sure of
the experience that we have. Arent our senses also linked to that experience that we have?
One last argument is that Descartes mentions that the thinking mind/soul and the body are
two different components. Yet, are they not linked?