Meditations on First Philosophy

At the start, Descartes writes a public letter to the Faculty of Theology in Paris to defend the authority of his text. His meditations concern two primary questions: the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. These questions have been historically addressed by theologians whereas Descartes argues they are better suited to philosophers. Descartes defends God’s existence and the soul’s immortality by appealing to natural reason so that even one who lacks faith may be swayed. He states,

More than that, I am aware that the principal reason which causes many impious persons not to desire to believe that there is a God, and that the human soul is distinct from the body, is that they declare that hitherto no one has been able to demonstrate these two facts (1).

Descartes strives to present a perfect argument for the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. Yet, due to the nature of philosophy, which necessarily questions all things, Descartes knows he cannot depend on the public to fully grasp his method, nor can he be certain that he has made no errors.