Descartes starts off the wax analogy by assuming the wax already exists, unlike how he doubts his own existence in the first meditation. How could I use this to argue that reality is actually mind-dependent since, as he says again and again, the mind is required to understand the essence of physical objects?
The wax analogy is a perfect example of how reality is mind-dependent. Descartes assumes the wax already exists, but it is only through his mind that he is able to understand the essence of the wax. He is able to recognize the wax's physical properties, such as its shape, texture, and smell, and he is able to understand how these properties can change when the wax is heated. This demonstrates that reality is not an objective, physical thing, but rather something that is dependent on the mind for its understanding. Without the mind, the wax would just be a blob of matter with no meaning or purpose. Therefore, reality is mind-dependent since it is only through the mind that we can understand the essence of physical objects.
