This was a very strange read for me because I have very recently read a large chunk of Descartes famous book “Meditations, Objections and replies” which covered most of what he covered in section 4 of this reading. Seeing concepts that he spent more then, I want to say, fifty pages to explain getting summed up in a 4 page twin pillar text was quite jarring especially with the clarity and efficiency he had describing these fairly difficult concepts. With strong and intriguing statements like “I am thinking, therefore I exist” (section 4), Descartes seeks to find what can truly be known if reality is put under scrutiny. Descartes statement shows that even if anything else is false, our senses, our memories, or even what we know to be true the fact that you exist is beyond question due to the fact you would not be able to question or contemplate if you didn’t exist. Descartes tries to go  even further by stating “I was a substance whose whole essence or nature is simply to think, and which doesn’t need any place, or depend on any material thing, in order to exist. Accordingly this me—this soul that makes me what I am—•is entirely distinct from the body, •is easier to know than the body” (section 4). This is him trying to separate information gained by the body and senses, which is all put into question because they could be deceived or misinformed, to a purer knowledge based on pure reasoning and logic. This is where i find an issue with his thought process. Though psychiatry was not invented yet, the idea that the mind is purely distinct from the body causes a lot of issues namely when the body can completely alter ones thoughts through diseases that make people delirious to depression and other issues that mess with the chemistry of the brain. I wish i had more to say but if this is suppose to be an initial reaction then i am more impressed he detailed his findings in a understandable essay, I mean he spent a page in a half describing how wax changes its properties near fire as a way to keep in mind he should not assume anything is true. Seeing a person that goes so in depth go quickly through these ideas is simply amazing