In his Sixth Meditation, René Descartes grapples with the question of the existence of material objects and the role of the senses in perception. He begins by acknowledging that, up until this point in his Meditations, he has been considering the possibility that all of his senses and external experiences might be illusory, and that he is in fact being deceived by an evil demon. However, he now wishes to explore the possibility that the external world, and the material objects within it, might actually exist.
Descartes begins by considering the way in which we perceive material objects. He asserts that our senses give us some indication of the existence of material objects, but that they cannot be completely trusted. For example, when we see a tower from a distance, it appears small, but as we approach it, it appears to grow larger. This suggests that our senses are not always accurate and can be deceived.
Despite this, Descartes argues that there must be some way in which we can know for certain that material objects exist. He proposes that the only way to do this is through reason, which he defines as the "natural light of the mind." In other words, we can rely on our innate ability to reason and think logically to determine the existence of material objects.
To support his argument, Descartes appeals to the concept of a "clear and distinct" idea. He asserts that if an idea is clear and distinct, it must be true. For example, if we consider the idea of a triangle, we can clearly and distinctly understand its properties and characteristics. Therefore, we can be certain that the idea of a triangle corresponds to an actual object in the external world.
Descartes goes on to argue that the idea of a material object, such as a piece of wax, is also clear and distinct. We can understand the properties and characteristics of wax, such as its shape, size, and color. This leads Descartes to conclude that the material object of wax must also exist in the external world.
In conclusion, in his Sixth Meditation, Descartes grapples with the question of the existence of material objects and the role of the senses in perception. He ultimately argues that we can rely on our innate ability to reason and think logically, as well as our clear and distinct ideas, to determine the existence of material objects in the external world.
