The aim of Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy is to discover the first principles of human knowledge, that is, what must be known before anything else can be known. If we are to understand this work, it is important to understand the methodology he employs. Descartes does not reveal the method utilized in the Meditations in this work, nor in any of his other books.
It is only in the Replies to the Second Set of Objections that he explains the method he utilizes in this work - he calls this method ‘analysis’; ‘synthesis’ is the method of mathematics. I explain the method of ‘analysis’ contra ‘synthesis’, and the employment of ‘analysis’ in leading the mind to the first principles of human knowledge. Examples are provided by focusing on Descartes’ analytic proofs of his existence as a thinking thing (second meditation), and that God is his creator (third meditation). In neither case is the analytic proof inferential. Further, if no inference is involved in gaining knowledge of God, then the charge of circular reasoning (raised by Arnauld and others) is without merit. Finally, I show the importance of meditation for Descartes in arriving at the first principles of human knowledge."
Monday July 6, 2026 11:00am - 11:55am AEST GCI-275 HYBRID
