Descartes proposes the “Dreaming Argument,” in his first meditation. This argument holds that there are no definite signs
allowing him to distinguish dreaming from a waking experience. This can be understood, that a dreaming mind appears to experience the same sensory phenomenon as a waking mind. When a dream occurs the ability to feel emotions is ever so present. This is seen through-out all types of dreams. During a nightmare, the emotion of fear is certainly present. Even after one wakes up from a dream that emotional fear may still be present. The same idea holds true when one is having a happy dream. Often a person wakes up from a good dream and feels the same positive feelings as they did when they were asleep. The question is what truly allows a person to differentiate between dreams and reality. Descartes uses this underlying principle as the foundation to his argument. If there are no signs allowing him to distinguish dreams from reality; he cannot be sure if he is dreaming or awake. In a dream you experience your “reality,” through your senses just as you do when you are awake. Since your mind is still functioning as a sleeping person, it continues to operate as it does when you are awake. The differences between our minds operating during sleep and while we are awake are the existence of external material. Since your mind has the ability to create this false sense of external materialistic substance; it is difficult to differentiate real substance from substance created during a dream. Descartes continues to build upon his argument. If he does not know whether or not he is dreaming; he has reason to doubt any of his beliefs in his current state of mind. One fact of a dream is the inability to experience certain emotions. It is true a person can experience mental pain during a dream, but physical pain is not possible. Things can occur to your physically sleeping body that your mind leads you to believe are occurring in your dream. If you move in your sleep and hit your head on the wall; your mind has the ability to create a false scenario within your dream. Even though things like this due occur, an intelligent human being will know the difference between the pains once they are awake. Another truth is lucid dreaming. It is apparent that Descartes either did not have the mental capacity to reflect on this, or that he simply did not experience it. Lucid dreaming is the ability to accept a dream, as a dream. Often, people have dreams and cannot differentiate them as dreams while they are still asleep. A lucid dream occurs when someone is dreaming and during their dream they realize that it is not reality, but only a dream. This occurs due to several reasons. There are often tells that occur during a dream allowing the dreamer to distinguish there dreaming mental state. For example, someone may be having a dream and they begin to fly. They realize this is not rational and are able to realize there current state of dreaming. Other lucid dreams occur when there is a repetitive subject or occurrence. Lucid dreams are a strong disclaimer to Descartes dreaming argument. If one can realize they are dreaming then one can certainly realize they are awake.
Descartes uses the word doubt through-out his first
meditation. This doubt is a blatant contradiction to the rest of his
meditations. He doubts the senses, reality and his own beliefs. In following meditations he refutes his doubt in reference to himself, God, clear and distinctive conceptions, the mind and the body. He uses he previous meditations to conclude his sixth meditation. How can Descartes use his previous meditations to prove his final meditation if he clearly states; if we can doubt the source of our justification then we should doubt the belief. Under this reasoning one should doubt many of the beliefs, Descartes meditations hold as true. If we are talking about God, doubt is certainly evident. Our sources of realization of God vary, but none of them provide clear and distinctive conceptions. Even if we are talking about the senses, we are often deceived by natural and unnatural substances. Thus providing another reason why we should doubt something Descartes holds as truth. Most of his arguments can be rebutted by his method of doubt. However, it is possible that his meditations were developed as his insight and intuition. They could be intended to give the reader the same sensations Descartes had as he wrote them. He begins with skepticism and contradiction and as he progresses he builds upon his arguments. It is possible he wants the readers to take the journey with him as he develops his ideologies. Even with this notion, it is hard to accept something he first doubted as a certain truth.