Meditations: A Closed Loop System of Thought By: Jordan Palmer
In this essay, I will argue that Descartes’ Archimedean point is the “I”. The advantage of this reading is that it reveals Meditation II as a secular meditation, relevant to ordinary people looking for guidance in living well. First, I will describe the Archimedean point, and then a standard reading of it; lastly I offer my own interpretation, which is based on a close reading of the discussion of the essence of the “I” at AT 25.
I.
Descartes discusses the Archimedean point in Meditation II. About to embark on his second journey to the deep, descartes is left troubled by the “doubts” raised from his first meditation (AT 24). Still needing more at the beginning of Meditation II, he makes a new attempt—namely, to adopt the principle that, anything that gives the slightest doubt is cast aside to be found false. This is rooted from his first meditation realizing his sensory knowledge could be deceived, and what can deceive us once cannot be be trusted (AT 18). Descartes speaks of the Archimedean point and decides to find his own Archimedean point; whereas Archimedes sought a fulcrum point to lift the Earth, Descartes’ point will hold the weight all of his thoughts. For Descartes, this would be a critical discovery; as a mathematician, it seems even more fitting, like laws with right angles, if you can find one point the others can be found. If he can just find that one thought that's perfect and true, he could possibly find more, and if not, at least have a sturdy foundation.
II.
From here he goes on to suggest a preliminary view about the Archimedean point—namely, that “nothing is certain” (AT 24). As he notes, “I have no senses. Body, shape, extension, movement and place are chimeras” (AT 24). Then, offers another view: that the Archimedean point is “I am, I exist” (AT 25). As he notes, “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 (AT 25).” It would be reasonable to suppose that the Archimedean point is “I am, I exist.” After all, it is a fundamental component to the essence of the I and by first glance may appear to be the answer, but to stop here limits one's view of the picture.
III.
However, there is a better reading of the Archimedean point—one, moreover, that captures the sense in which the Meditations are useful for living an ethical life. On my reading, the Archimedean point is the “I.” I will offer two reasons to think so.
The first reason derives from a certain understanding of the ‘foundation’ analogy (AT 17). Descartes claims that he seeks the foundation for his beliefs at the beginning of Meditation I. It might be thought that the foundation is simple: one single substance that underlies the house. However, even a foundation is made up of a few different parts and once fully completed, mesh together perfectly and shape one conjoined piece. Viewing a foundation in this way is helpful for interpreting Meditation II. It suggests that the foundation Descartes seeks is complex, rather than simple. Viewing a foundation in this way also helps to make sense of Descartes’ mention of “mental scrutiny” in Meditation III (AT 31). There, too, we can appreciate how an apparently simple idea can be complex.
The second reason is textual. After discovering that the Archimedean point is related to the idea that “I am, I exist,” Descartes notes the following: “But I do not yet have a sufficient understanding of what this ‘I’ is, that now necessarily exists” (AT 25). On my reading, this point is critical for understanding the Archimedean point. It means that the Archimedean point is the I, which is complex and needs to be explored further, just as a foundation can be complex and explored further. Descarte has established the I but has yet to find its meaning, or an understanding of what I is aside from existing. Descarte says, “So I must be on guard against carelessly taking something else to be this ‘I’, and so making a mistake in the very item of knowledge that I maintain is the most certain and evident of all.” Descartes knows the importance of the old adage, measure twice and cut once. If this foundation is off, even by the slightest, it can cause the foundation to crack under the load. He is being extremely cautious to ensure his foundation is true. Note, he says, “what is left at the end may be exactly and only what is certain and unshakeable.(AT 25)”
IV.
The advantages of my reading are that it makes Descartes’ Meditations alive to contemporary readers. Far from being a text that recommends withdrawing from the world, it recommends exploration of the self, the I. Before one can establish other things in life this ‘self’ needs to be explored. This is the essence of what makes you, you. To live well and achieve a life of happiness one should completely know the themself.
Jordan Palmer
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