Existentialism in Deceit and Its Effects on Enlightenment

One of the biggest themes throughout Descartes's reflection is contemplating his own existence, both in what can be questioned and the very basics of the human mind. To put it bluntly, his meditations are a dense read at first, but I understand where he's going. Descartes is a lost soul. He constantly brings up the age-old argument of God's goodness versus his power. He struggles with the fact that God made the human mind complex enough, and breaks down the mind into very basic, structured components. That being said, though it's very clear that Descartes struggles with his faith, he's being deceived into thinking life is more complex than it is by a deceiver (who we know is Satan). In spite of Descartes's deception, his reflection on what makes us human is fascinating. By separating us out into the soul and body, it gives more free reign on how we can explore our own humanity. He even says thought is "the one thing that can't be separated" from him. One of the major conclusions he comes to is that we are a "thinking thing." There's something ironic that he would arrive at such a simple point after pages upon pages of trying to make it so complex. Descartes is headed in the right direction, even if his faith and doubt are not where they need to be.

If that were not enough, the enlightenment movement integrated much of this type of thinking. Descartes's meditations were of a different time, so it's only natural that it would seem outdated when look at the enlightenment. Kant makes a great point that the enlightenment is not just about the nature of the mind, but also the message that we bear to the people around us. Descartes (and his colleagues) jumpstarted the thought that the human mind was its own entity and it was our job to pick it apart. By the time the enlightenment came around, men were still having grand conversations in salons about our humanity, but it was in the form of government, freedom, and justice. In Kant's essay, we find the belief that freedom is the biggest thing the human mind needs to pursue enlightenment. This can lead to freedom of petition - of which the government cannot withhold from the public. Kant's main point is that enlightenment serves the purpose of getting away from man's self-imposed nonage, and this could also been seen as an after-effect from Descartes's meditations. Whereas in the mediations, man is questioning if God has made them good and has not deceived the world, in enlightenment, man is trying to break free of the restraints of organized guidance (especially in religion). It is interesting to see how even this point in history shaped our modern world, through revolutions, new forms of government, religious beliefs alike.

EDIT: I commented on Michael's and Natalie's posts.