The Cartesian Mythology

Descartes was possessed by an extreme desire to distinguish truth from falsehood. In his admiration of the sheer clarity of mathematics, Descartes wanted to construct an indestructible system of beliefs established on principles of absolute certainty. Perfect knowledge is that which cannot be doubted, indubitable, "clear and distinct" ideas, and a type of knowledge that is incorrigible, such as the knowledge of one's own mental life. Descartes considered what seemed to be immediate experience as indubitable knowledge - such as sensations, thoughts, feelings, or desires.
In the First Medit…