According to Descartes, an evil genius is a creature that eternally deceives a person. The purpose of creating this phenomenon is to heighten doubt. What a person is not sure of is taken as false, and an evil genius helps a person to part with prejudices, outdated opinions, and unfounded beliefs in anything. Thus, a person’s goal is to achieve absolute certainty, such that the arguments put forward by an evil genius cannot be shaken. This will be “I think therefore I am,” which is an even more evil genius.
What is the function of the “evil genius” in Descartes’ first Meditation?
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Academic.Tips. 2022. "What is the function of the "evil genius" in Descartes’ first Meditation?" December 24, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/what-is-the-function-of-the-evil-genius-in-descartes-first-meditation/.
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Academic.Tips. "What is the function of the "evil genius" in Descartes’ first Meditation?" December 24, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/what-is-the-function-of-the-evil-genius-in-descartes-first-meditation/.
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"What is the function of the "evil genius" in Descartes’ first Meditation?" Academic.Tips, 24 Dec. 2022, academic.tips/question/what-is-the-function-of-the-evil-genius-in-descartes-first-meditation/.
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