(a) Descartes' first meditation, on what can be called into doubt, is an attempt to discard everything that he has come to be known as true and existing. One might wonder what point there is to adopting such a sceptical way of thinking as, surely, it would only bring about much confusion and a kind of awkwardness which, I think, is unnecessary. However, it is only fair to fully consider an argument before criticising it. I will therefore discuss, in detail, Descartes' "Evil Demon" thought experiment; as to what type of information is it designed to undercut, and how it accomplishes the task of dismissing all his knowledge, opinions and beliefs as false.

In his pursuit of certainty, Descartes applies a special method that he has devised, known as "methodical doubt." As applied, methodical doubt has two steps; the first of which is to doubt everything that can...