Q: How and why does Descartes call everything into doubt?
Summary: Throughout one’s life, one would invariably find the case that previously held beliefs are not always correct. To ensure that one is able to find truth in life, it is beneficial to treat all beliefs with doubt. In particular, one’s body and what can be “sensed” with it are not necessarily real. However, because one can think, it is certain that, at the very least, the mind is real. The argument Descartes presents is that, to find the truth, one must be absolutely certain that every base idea is sound before building upon it, lest the beliefs that follow form a web of falsity. To do this, it is helpful to call all previously made assumptions into doubt by imagining that there
