"... I have been nourished on letters since my childhood, and because I was convinced that by means of them one could acquire a clear and assureed knowledge of of everything that is useful in life, I had a tremendous desire to master them. But as soon as I had completed this entire course of study, at the end of which one is ordinarily receieved into the ranks of the learned, I completely changed my mind. For I found myself confounded by so many doubts and errors that it seemed to me that I have gained so many doubts and errors that it seemed to me that I had not gained any profit from my attempt to teach myself, except that more and more I had discovered my ignorance..."
What Descartes is trying to emphasize here is that as a child everyone is told that all the answers and all intellect can be obtained through teachings from facts and/or stories from a book. As a child Descartes had a strong desire to learn all and everything there was to know. He planned on making it his job to "master" all that was taught to him. Although he has gone through all stages of schooling and is amongst the highest of intellect, he doesn't believe that makes him any different from anyone else. In fact, he states that "... I had discovered my ignorance..." which will cause him to venture out and seize the answers he is longing for. Clearly, Descartes is expressing his own self doubt amongst everything he has been taught.
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