As I previously learned about Descartes, his goal was to methodically doubt everything to then be able to rebuild ideas and philosophies with the correct mode of thinking.
His methodic doubt is outlined as follows.
He was to never accept anything as true if he did not have evident knowledge of its truth; that is, carefully to avoid precipitate conclusions and preconceptions, and to include nothing more in his judgments than what presented itself to his mind so clearly and distinctly that I had no occasion to doubt it.
The second, to divide each of the difficulties he examined into as many parts as possible and as may be required in order to resolve them better.
Thirdly, to direct his thoughts in an orderly manner, by beginning with the simplest and most easily known objects in order to ascend little by little, step by step, to knowledge of the most complex, and by supposing some order even among objects that have no natural order of precedence.
Finally, to make enumerations so complete, and reviews so comprehensive, that he could be sure he was not leaving anything out.
Descartes uses skepticism as a vehicle to motivate his reader to discover by way of philosophical investigation what constitutes this ground.
The book is made up of six meditations, in which Descartes first discards all belief in things which are not absolutely certain, and then tries to establish what can be known for sure.
Descartes begins the first meditation by noting the large number of false beliefs which he had adopted in his childhood. He realizes it is necessary to start over entirely if he wants to establish anything in the sciences which is firm and will endure. Descartes' goal — as stated at the beginning of the meditation — is to suspend judgment about any of his ...