Six metaphysical meditations · René Descartes
OBJECT. I.
_Against the First Meditation: Of things Doubtful._ ’Tis evident enough from What has been said in this Meditation, that there is no _sign_ by Which we may Distinguish our _Dreams_ from _True Sense_ and _Waking_, and therefore that those _Phantasmes_ which we have waking and from our Senses are not accidents inhering in Outward Objects, neither do they Prove that such outward Objects do Exist; and therefore if we trust our Senses without any other Ground, we may well doubt whether any Thing _Be_ or _Not_. We therefore acknowledge the Truth of this Meditation. But Because _Plato_ and other Antient Philosophers argued for the same _incertainty_ in sensible Things, and because ’tis commonly Observed by the Vulgar that ’tis hard to Distinguish Sleep from Waking, I would not have the most excellent Author of such new Thoughts put forth so antique Notions.
Ideas discussed in this chapter
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