Meditations on First Philosophy

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Meditations on First Philosophy 
René Descartes


How could he find a basis for all knowledge so that it might have the same unity and certainty as mathematics? 

I've always thought that two issues - namely God and the soul - are chief among those that ought to be demonstrated with the aid of philosophy rather than theology [...] Certainly no unbelievers seem capable of being persuaded of any religion or even of almost any moral virtue, until these two are first proven to them by natural reason 

And, since in this life greater rewards are often granted to vices than to virtues, few would prefer what is right to what is useful , if they neither feared God nor anticipated an afterlife.

What about thinking? Here I make my discovery: thought exists; it alone can't be separated from me. I am; I exist. This is certain.

I draw the obvious conclusion that God also exists, and that my existence depends entirely upon him at each and every moment. This conclusion is so obvious that I'm confident that the human mind can know nothing more evident or more certain. 

It's impossible for God ever to deceive me, for trickery or deception is always indicative of some imperfection. And although the ability to deceive seems to be an indication of cleverness or power the will to deceive undoubtedly attests to maliciousness or weakness 


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