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Descartes' starting point was simple: Empiricism is unreliable because our senses may misinform us. All beliefs or opinions based on sensory data may be mistaken. Instead of looking outward, we should look inward. However, even reason itself (if we allow for the possibility of a cosmic Deceiving Demon), may lead us astray. Thus the first step in the process of Cartesian doubt: 1. 'Doubt everything that is not certain.' This was the "Cartesian Eraser" that wiped clean the philosophical slate. His next move was to question his physical existence. "Can I be certain that my body exists?" And his answer was, "No. My senses may deceive me." And reason, vulnerable to the tricks of the hypothetical Demon, may be no more than hallucination-so it couldn't help establish the existence of the body, either. "I cannot be certain that I have or am my body." And, by extension, he arrived at the same...

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