It was in a state of wandering mind that the wax passage was conceived. The wax passage itself is a simple piece of writing, and a simple train of thought to follow. The essence of the passage is that Descartes believes, and attempts to convince the reader that the clear and distinct ideas one might have of objects external to one's body are not perceived through the senses, but rather through the intellect, the mind. …showed first 75 words of 339 total…

…showed last 75 words of 339 total…shape, size, or smell, and since Descartes assumes that he himself is incapable of imagining the wax in infinite ways, the insight he has gained into the wax was not brought about by his faculty of imagination. With the elimination of the senses, and then the elimination of the imagination, what is left must be the answer. The clear and distinct ideas of the wax must have been perceived through the mind alone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**