# LXXII explained — Philosophical Works

> Chapter companion for Philosophical Works by René Descartes.

## What happens

Descartes explains that the second cause of error is our inability to forget prejudices formed in childhood. Even in adulthood, when the mind seeks truth independently of the body, these ingrained false judgments persist in memory and lead to errors, as illustrated by the difficulty of conceiving the true size of stars despite astronomical proof.

## Themes in this chapter

### Skepticism and Certainty

Highlights how preconceived opinions from childhood undermine certainty, as even clear astronomical reasoning struggles to overcome ingrained false beliefs.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

Reflects on the persistence of childhood prejudices and their role in causing errors.

## Key lines

> Thus, for example, since from our earliest years we imagined the stars to be of very small size, we find it highly difficult to rid ourselves of this imagination, although assured by plain astronomical reasons that they are of the greatest⁠—so prevailing is the power of preconceived opinion.

For instance, because we thought as children that stars were tiny, we struggle to accept astronomical evidence that they are enormous, showing how strong early biases can be.

_Illustrates the persistence of childhood prejudices despite contrary evidence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/philosophical_works_se/chapters/lxxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/philosophical_works_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/philosophical_works_se/chapters