Descartes. Meditations. Doubt.
Full Descartes, how he sets out to induce doubt and from there comes to the Cogito, following from the cogito he uses Clear & Distinct perceptions and essential properties to work out further truths about the world like his essentially property.He argues material objects and removes doubt.
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- Created on: 17-06-13 12:51
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- DESCARTES. Meditations.
- Descartes was interested in finding UNIVERSAL truths, similar to Mathematical certainty, that can be known purely through INTELLECTUAL thought
- He induces Positive skepticism of everything to discover ABSOLUTE CERTAINTIES.
- WHY?
- Analogy of ROTTEN APPLES in a BASKET
- If you have a basket of Apples and one is rotten, you would EMPTY basket and only let back in those that aren't rotten.
- Similarly if we throw out all our beliefs at once and only allow certain truths back in we can ensure that our base beliefs that support others are CERTAIN
- If you have a basket of Apples and one is rotten, you would EMPTY basket and only let back in those that aren't rotten.
- Analogy of BUILDING a HOUSE
- If foundation of a house in unstable, you will DIG IT out and lay new foundation.
- Similarly for a solid basis for our knowledge its necessary to throw out everything that could be doubted.
- If foundation of a house in unstable, you will DIG IT out and lay new foundation.
- Analogy of ROTTEN APPLES in a BASKET
- WHY?
- He induces this doubt using 3 arguments.
- ARGUMENT FROM DREAMING
- Our senses all SYSTEMATICALLY FOOL US when we are dreaming
- Senses tell us something contrary to the real world when dreaming and is a much more COMPLETE ILLUSION.
- Although senses mislead us whilst dreaming. WE HAVE NO REASON TO THINK WE ARE DREAMING WHILE AWAKE.
- Still not enough to induce radical skepticism.
- Although senses mislead us whilst dreaming. WE HAVE NO REASON TO THINK WE ARE DREAMING WHILE AWAKE.
- Senses tell us something contrary to the real world when dreaming and is a much more COMPLETE ILLUSION.
- Our senses all SYSTEMATICALLY FOOL US when we are dreaming
- ARGUMENT FROM ILLUSION
- Our senses are capable of deceiving us
- A spoon in a glass APPEARS to bend in the water (refraction). Parallel tracks APPEAR to meet in the distance
- Descartes: It is not prudent to trust a friend who has once deceived us as they could again
- Not strong enough ALONE. Illusions are EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
- Descartes: It is not prudent to trust a friend who has once deceived us as they could again
- A spoon in a glass APPEARS to bend in the water (refraction). Parallel tracks APPEAR to meet in the distance
- Our senses are capable of deceiving us
- ARGUMENT FROM MALICIOUS DEMON
- IMAGINE an ALL-POWERFUL MALICIOUS DEMON who will try to DECEIVE us at EVERY TURN.
- Other arguments proved our senses can be doubted therefore, all the world we gain through our senses the malicious demon can DECEIVE US in.
- ARGUE: Like dreaming, there are no signs we are being deceived so we aren't. BUT: The demons point is to FULLY DECEIVE US.
- Therefore, this proves that there is no way we'd be able to tell between DECEPTION and REALITY. SO very few of our beliefs are CERTAIN.
- ARGUE: Like dreaming, there are no signs we are being deceived so we aren't. BUT: The demons point is to FULLY DECEIVE US.
- Other arguments proved our senses can be doubted therefore, all the world we gain through our senses the malicious demon can DECEIVE US in.
- IMAGINE an ALL-POWERFUL MALICIOUS DEMON who will try to DECEIVE us at EVERY TURN.
- ARGUMENT FROM DREAMING
- So now all our beliefs can be doubted what beliefs CANNOT be doubted?
- DESCARTES. Meditations.
- Descartes was interested in finding UNIVERSAL truths, similar to Mathematical certainty, that can be known purely through INTELLECTUAL thought
- He induces Positive skepticism of everything to discover ABSOLUTE CERTAINTIES.
- WHY?
- Analogy of ROTTEN APPLES in a BASKET
- If you have a basket of Apples and one is rotten, you would EMPTY basket and only let back in those that aren't rotten.
- Similarly if we throw out all our beliefs at once and only allow certain truths back in we can ensure that our base beliefs that support others are CERTAIN
- If you have a basket of Apples and one is rotten, you would EMPTY basket and only let back in those that aren't rotten.
- Analogy of BUILDING a HOUSE
- If foundation of a house in unstable, you will DIG IT out and lay new foundation.
- Similarly for a solid basis for our knowledge its necessary to throw out everything that could be doubted.
- If foundation of a house in unstable, you will DIG IT out and lay new foundation.
- Analogy of ROTTEN APPLES in a BASKET
- WHY?
- He induces this doubt using 3 arguments.
- ARGUMENT FROM DREAMING
- Our senses all SYSTEMATICALLY FOOL US when we are dreaming
- Senses tell us something contrary to the real world when dreaming and is a much more COMPLETE ILLUSION.
- Although senses mislead us whilst dreaming. WE HAVE NO REASON TO THINK WE ARE DREAMING WHILE AWAKE.
- Still not enough to induce radical skepticism.
- Although senses mislead us whilst dreaming. WE HAVE NO REASON TO THINK WE ARE DREAMING WHILE AWAKE.
- Senses tell us something contrary to the real world when dreaming and is a much more COMPLETE ILLUSION.
- Our senses all SYSTEMATICALLY FOOL US when we are dreaming
- ARGUMENT FROM ILLUSION
- Our senses are capable of deceiving us
- A spoon in a glass APPEARS to bend in the water (refraction). Parallel tracks APPEAR to meet in the distance
- Descartes: It is not prudent to trust a friend who has once deceived us as they could again
- Not strong enough ALONE. Illusions are EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
- Descartes: It is not prudent to trust a friend who has once deceived us as they could again
- A spoon in a glass APPEARS to bend in the water (refraction). Parallel tracks APPEAR to meet in the distance
- Our senses are capable of deceiving us
- ARGUMENT FROM MALICIOUS DEMON
- IMAGINE an ALL-POWERFUL MALICIOUS DEMON who will try to DECEIVE us at EVERY TURN.
- Other arguments proved our senses can be doubted therefore, all the world we gain through our senses the malicious demon can DECEIVE US in.
- ARGUE: Like dreaming, there are no signs we are being deceived so we aren't. BUT: The demons point is to FULLY DECEIVE US.
- Therefore, this proves that there is no way we'd be able to tell between DECEPTION and REALITY. SO very few of our beliefs are CERTAIN.
- ARGUE: Like dreaming, there are no signs we are being deceived so we aren't. BUT: The demons point is to FULLY DECEIVE US.
- Other arguments proved our senses can be doubted therefore, all the world we gain through our senses the malicious demon can DECEIVE US in.
- IMAGINE an ALL-POWERFUL MALICIOUS DEMON who will try to DECEIVE us at EVERY TURN.
- ARGUMENT FROM DREAMING
- "Cogito Ergo Sum"... I THINK THEREFORE I EXIST
- What does this IMPLY?
- NIETZSCHE
- The cogito goes too far in PRESUMING AN I. All that can be said is: "A thought is being thunk"
- However, this is only one negative so far and Descartes could be justified in saying I am a Thinking thing.
- The cogito goes too far in PRESUMING AN I. All that can be said is: "A thought is being thunk"
- DESCARTES. Meditations.
- That THINKING implies EXISTENCE? so if i stop thinking, DO I CEASE TO EXIST? when i sleep I am not thinking - I do not always dream, DO i cease to exist?
- What does this IMPLY?
- However the cogito is NOT a set of conditions about our existence, it is simply a CERTAIN BELIEF that arises from doubt. Thus it doesn't follow we don't exist if we're sleeping.
- REMOVING SKEPTICISM.
- IMAGINATION: Capacity to see IMAGES in one's MIND's EYE
- To IMAGINE a triangle is to see it as if its in front of you
- INTELLECT: Capacity for ABSTRACT RATIONAL THOUGHT
- To appreciate a TRIANGLE through intellect is to UNDERSTAND it
- IMAGINATION requires a peculiar effort of mind not required to understand something .
- If we pay attention to IMAGINATION it is APPLYING THE MIND to a BODY therefore the MATERIAL BODY MUST EXIST.
- DESCARTES: I experience sensations which DO NOT ORIGINATE FROM ME and occur out of my control. COLOURS ON OBJECTS.
- There must be a source to these sensations. As GOD is benevolent and would not deceive us our experience indicates God/ A lesser being than god is not responsible for these sensations
- Experience suggests MATERIAL OBJECTS cause these sensations and GOD is BENEVOLENT and would not make us think we were surrounded by objects if we weren't.
- Proof of material objects used as a way out of skeptical doubt
- However it relies on proofs of GOD which we dismiss.
- Experience suggests MATERIAL OBJECTS cause these sensations and GOD is BENEVOLENT and would not make us think we were surrounded by objects if we weren't.
- There must be a source to these sensations. As GOD is benevolent and would not deceive us our experience indicates God/ A lesser being than god is not responsible for these sensations
- DESCARTES: I experience sensations which DO NOT ORIGINATE FROM ME and occur out of my control. COLOURS ON OBJECTS.
- If we pay attention to IMAGINATION it is APPLYING THE MIND to a BODY therefore the MATERIAL BODY MUST EXIST.
- IMAGINATION: Capacity to see IMAGES in one's MIND's EYE
- ALL THIS RELIES ON THE PROOF OF GOD. (see Descartes and arguments for God) HIS PROOFS ACTUALLY FAIL so THIS ALL FAILS because he relies on God so much.
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