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In a famous thought experiment that philosophers have studied closely for centuries, the Meditator sorts his certain beliefs from his uncertain ones by imagining that an evil demon is controlling his mind and planting all of his perceptions in it. This possibility means that he can’t trust any of what he sees, hears, smells, touches, or tastes—and it forces him to seek another foundation for his knowledge about the world (which turns out to be the very fact that he exists).
The Evil Demon Quotes in Meditations on First Philosophy
The Meditations on First Philosophy quotes below are all either spoken by The Evil Demon or refer to The Evil Demon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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First Meditation
Quotes
I will suppose therefore that […] some malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me. I shall think that the sky, the air, the earth, colours, shapes, sounds and all external things are merely the delusions of dreams which he has devised to ensnare my judgement. I shall consider myself as not having hands or eyes, or flesh, or blood or senses, but as falsely believing that I have all these things. I shall stubbornly and firmly persist in this meditation; and, even if it is not in my power to know any truth, I shall at least do what is in my power, that is, resolutely guard against assenting to any falsehoods, so that the deceiver, however powerful and cunning he may be, will be unable to impose on me in the slightest degree.
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Second Meditation
Quotes
So after considering everything very thoroughly, I must finally conclude that this proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind.
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The Evil Demon Quotes in Meditations on First Philosophy
The Meditations on First Philosophy quotes below are all either spoken by The Evil Demon or refer to The Evil Demon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
First Meditation
Quotes
I will suppose therefore that […] some malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning has employed all his energies in order to deceive me. I shall think that the sky, the air, the earth, colours, shapes, sounds and all external things are merely the delusions of dreams which he has devised to ensnare my judgement. I shall consider myself as not having hands or eyes, or flesh, or blood or senses, but as falsely believing that I have all these things. I shall stubbornly and firmly persist in this meditation; and, even if it is not in my power to know any truth, I shall at least do what is in my power, that is, resolutely guard against assenting to any falsehoods, so that the deceiver, however powerful and cunning he may be, will be unable to impose on me in the slightest degree.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Unlock explanations and citation info for this and every other Meditations on First Philosophy quote.
Plus so much more...
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Second Meditation
Quotes
So after considering everything very thoroughly, I must finally conclude that this proposition, I am, I exist, is necessarily true whenever it is put forward by me or conceived in my mind.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
