ABSTRACT
In his Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes aims to show how one can dispel skeptical doubt and come to find an "Archimedean point"—a hypothetical vantage point from where one can observe objectively—on which to ground absolutely certain knowledge. It is evident that part of Descartes's intent in publishing Meditations was to avoid having his views of physics censored. Rather than launching a direct attack on Aristotelian physics, he tried to pave the way for his own views by writing an abstract treatise on epistemology and metaphysics. One of the most important ideas put forth by Descartes in this text is its starting point in methodical doubt. Descartes strategically employs his "method of doubt" to refute skepticism. Someone skeptical about knowledge of the external world would hold the thesis that the external world is unknowable. For Descartes, applying his method leads to an indubitable result that can serve as the foundation of all knowledge.
