Rene Descartes 1596-1650 Rene Descartes 1596-1650

2. Dreaming:Another ground of doubt for our beliefs about the world is that wecould be dreaming for sometimes when we are asleep, we thinkwe are awake.You think you are awake right now? But can you prove thatyou are?How do you know that this is not just one of occasions whenyou really are asleep, but think you are awake?There are not “conclusive indications” by which sleep andwakefulness can be distinguished. So, you have an alternative43explanation, a ground of doubt, for the experience you are having.