 In his strategy for making constructive arguments, Descartes builds on the fact that clearly and distinctly perceived matters appear to us to be utterly telling, i.e., while our perception is clear and distinct. So, by employing none other than premises and reasoning that are clearly and distinctly perceived, we can make rational progress – this, notwithstanding that those very same proofs fall vulnerable to indirect doubt, once our attention is no longer clear and distinct. The following Fifth Meditation passage illustrates the point: