La Trobe University

PHI QTM

Word Count: 532 1. Why does Descartes think that even if there were a "supremely confident and powerful deceiver" Descartes could still know, beyond any doubt, that he exists? Is Descartes right about this? Discuss in relation to Descartes’ Meditations I and II and other relevant readings and ideas from Week 4. Rene Descartes was a French philosopher known for his method of radical doubt and quest for certain knowledge. This essay will explore the central questions of Descartes’ epistemological doubt and his quest for knowledge, first delving deeper into his methods of radical doubt, before exploring Cogito, Ergo Sum and the role of God in his arguments. I will then critique Descartes’ arguments, specifically surrounding the use of ‘I’ in cogito, ergo sum and the possibility of a deceiving demon.