There are many uncertainties in life. Arguably, one of the most uncertain elements this world has to offer is certainty itself. For many people, the search for such understanding can take a long time and it can be quite difficult to fully grasp the indubitable. The topic of this essay concerns the First Meditation of René Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, where Descartes attempts to use certainty in his path to understanding knowledge. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As a philosopher, Descartes spends a lot of time searching for answers to many of the world's most difficult questions. This meditation is useful in helping him eliminate the false statements he conceived as a child and focus on some of these questions from an impartial and empty state of mind. This section of the reading focuses on the very important question of whether certainty can be achieved. After the development of many different thoughts and opinions in Descartes' mind, a conclusion finally comes into existence. He believes that to know something is real, he must first doubt everything. From then on, if something emerges that cannot be doubted, then he must build his knowledge from there. Ultimately, much of the evidence he uses in his search for certainty turns out to be dubious, leading him to the conclusion that he will not find certainty in any of the physical aspects of this world. All he can be certain of is that he lacks certainty. There are various arguments that are put forward to support this conclusion. To understand knowledge, there must be a foundation for one's thoughts, and within that foundation certainty must reside. So, Descartes feels the need to find that certainty, because it is the only thing that will help him support his theory of knowledge as possible. He creates arguments to support his search for certainty regarding the search for foundation regarding the senses, dreams, and an evil demon. As for the senses, the basis of certainty cannot be derived from them. Because, as each of us has experienced at some point in our lives, the senses deceive. Every time someone misinterprets a smell, misjudges something based on its appearance, or makes an incorrect assumption about any of their other senses, it is a time when they have been deceived by their senses. Descartes' first premise states that if something deceives us, even if only once, it cannot be used as a foundation (Descartes 41). Thus, having previously been deceived by the senses, Descartes concludes that they cannot be trusted and that his knowledge must be based on something else that is certain. Furthermore, he discusses dreams. In this topic, it is mentioned that people sometimes have vivid dreams, and within these dreams, it is difficult to determine whether they are actually awake or not (42). Compared to reality, it is difficult for one to truly distinguish whether they are present, because whether they are dreaming or whether they are awake, there would be no way to distinguish this difference (42). From this it can be deduced that even perceptions of reality cannot be considered as the foundation of knowledge, because there are defects in this too. The last argument concerns the existence of an evil demon. Descartes believes that there is an “evil demon, at once omnipotent and extremely cunning, who has used all the energy he possesses to deceive me” (Descartes 44). Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Clearly, Descartes believes that there is nothing in this world that he can be sure of,.