In Meditations on the First Philosophy of René Descartes, he argues that the senses do not accurately help us understand the world. Descartes writes that he began to doubt all his ideas. He decides that all these ideas come from the senses, which are not to be trusted. In the first meditations, Descartes shows that we can use our senses to help us understand the nature of things, but that the senses alone are not enough to determine their truth. Descartes makes this argument through his discussion of dreams, his own existence, and wax. Through these examples, Descartes proves that the role of the senses is more in the mind than in the body, showing that the mind and body are separate. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayDreams as evidence that our perceptions can be misleadingDescartes argues that dreaming can prove the lack of use of the senses in the body. When we dream, we usually don't know that we are dreaming. If one does not know that one is dreaming, then one cannot know when one is awake. Descartes writes: “Surely, everything that I had hitherto accepted as the most true, I received either from the senses or through the senses. However, I have noticed that the senses are sometimes deceptive; and it is a mark of prudence never to place our entire trust in those who have deceived us even once.” If the senses are experienced in a dream as well as in reality, Descartes asserts, then one cannot know whether they are actually dreaming or whether they are awake. It can be concluded that any knowledge that relies on the senses must be examined, because it could be a deception. Descartes writes that any given situation could be a deception of the senses. Even a realistic situation like sitting by the fire in a dress might just be a dream, "how often does my evening sleep persuade me of such ordinary things as these: that I am here, dressed in my dressing gown, sitting next to the fireplace. – when in fact I am lying, undressed, in my bed.” Descartes can feel the heat of the fire in his dream so much that it seems real. Additionally, while the senses trick him into believing he can feel heat, he cannot rely on the heat of fire when he is awake. Descartes' dream argument shows that although the senses help with understanding, the senses cannot determine the truth. The senses can help us understand things like Descartes' senses help him understand that fire is hot. In this case, the senses cannot determine whether Descartes feels the heat of the fire or dreams the heat of the fire. While dreaming, Descartes thinks about heat but in reality he feels heat, showing that the mind and body are not one thing. Descartes maintains that doubt is the only way for him to discern between truths and falsities. If doubt is the only way for him to distinguish this, then the determination of truth, for Descartes, cannot be done through the body. This must be done by the mind and by the thought. Descartes writes in his Second Meditation: “What then will be true? Maybe just the simple fact that nothing is certain.” Descartes argues that the only thing a person can know is that things can be doubtful. If this person doubts, then he must be something; this person exists. To understand this, one must use their thinking. The body will only contribute to a better understanding. This argument also applies to things that are knowable without sensory experience but on intellectual experience. Descartes' wax argument as proof of separation of body and mind When we.