Descartes First Philosophy Meditations
...e of wax but is it really there or is it your mind playing tricks thinking it is there for you see it being there?Rene Descartes was born on March 31, 1596. He was extremely good at mathematics. Descartes also wrote meditations on the first Philosophy. He uses his second meditation the explaining of the lump of wax. The using of Descartes second meditation Aof the nature of the human mind, and that it is more easily known that the body.@ He once said A I can do nothing more, until I shall know the certainty that there is nothing certain@ ( Richard Popkins 16th 17th centuries pg.133). What Descartes is saying here is the certainty is to found in the mind. He uses a piece of wax to prove some of his theories. He says there is a piece of wax but is it really there or is it your mind playing tricks thinking it is there for you see it being there? As the example he uses Descartes says A there is a piece of wax; it is quite fresh having been but recently taken from the bee-hive; it has not yet lost the sweetness of the honey, it contained; it still retains somewhat of the odor of the flowers from which it was gathered let it be placed hear by the fire- what remained of the taste exhales the smell evaporates the colour changes, its figure destroyed...