Second Meditation
E730630
Second Meditation is a key section of René Descartes’ "Meditations on First Philosophy" in which he develops the famous cogito argument and explores the nature of the self as a thinking thing.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
chapter of a philosophical work
ⓘ
philosophical text section ⓘ |
| addressesProblem |
criterion of certainty
ⓘ
skepticism about the external world ⓘ |
| aimsTo | establish a secure foundation for knowledge ⓘ |
| argues |
the mind is better known than the body
ⓘ
thought cannot be doubted while doubting ⓘ |
| author | René Descartes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralArgument | cogito ergo sum ⓘ |
| centralTheme |
certainty and doubt
ⓘ
epistemic foundations ⓘ nature of the self ⓘ |
| claims | the self is essentially a thinking thing ⓘ |
| containsExample | piece of wax example ⓘ |
| denies | that the essence of the self is bodily or extended ⓘ |
| exploresConcept |
clear and distinct perception
ⓘ
essence of the mind ⓘ indubitable knowledge ⓘ mental substance ⓘ self-knowledge ⓘ thinking thing ⓘ |
| followedBy | Third Meditation NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| follows | First Meditation NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre | philosophical meditation ⓘ |
| historicalContext | early modern philosophy ⓘ |
| influenced |
Cartesian dualism
ⓘ
modern philosophy ⓘ philosophy of mind ⓘ |
| keyClaim | I am, I exist is necessarily true whenever it is uttered or conceived in the mind ⓘ |
| keyPhrase | I am, I exist ⓘ |
| language | Latin NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| methodUsed |
first-person reflection
ⓘ
method of doubt ⓘ |
| originalPublicationYear | 1641 ⓘ |
| originalTitle | Meditatio Secunda NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Meditations on First Philosophy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| philosophicalField |
epistemology
ⓘ
metaphysics ⓘ |
| philosophicalStance | priority of the mental over the physical ⓘ |
| philosophicalTradition | Rationalism ⓘ |
| positionOnSelf | the self is identical with the res cogitans ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Cartesian subject
ⓘ
introspection ⓘ self-consciousness ⓘ |
| relatedWork | Discourse on the Method NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| setsUp | proofs of the existence of God in later meditations ⓘ |
| workContainedIn | Meditationes de Prima Philosophia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.