2024.12.09 - PHIL - FINAL - REVIEW I MADE FOR MYSELF - DECARTES 1-6 PRACTICE ESSAY (updated) Flashcards
Q: Why does Descartes think it is necessary to doubt all his beliefs in Meditation 1?
A:
Knowledge requires certainty.
Beliefs based on senses, experience, and reasoning can be doubted.
Senses have deceived before; dreams make experience unreliable.
The “Evil Deceiver” hypothesis suggests even mathematics could be false.
Therefore, to find indubitable knowledge, all beliefs must be doubted.
Q: What is Descartes’ first indubitable truth in Meditation 2?
A:
“I think, therefore I am.”
To doubt my existence, I must exist.
Even if deceived, my existence as a thinking thing is undeniable.
This certainty is the foundation of knowledge.
Q: What does the wax example demonstrate in Meditation 2?
A:
Wax changes properties (color, shape, smell) when melted.
Its essence remains the same despite sensory changes.
The knowledge of wax comes from intellect, not senses.
This demonstrates that the mind is better known than the body.
Q: How does Descartes begin to establish knowledge of the external world?
A:
By understanding that ideas in the mind must have causes.
Ideas with more objective reality than I possess require an external source.
The idea of perfection is one such idea, requiring a perfect cause.
Q: What is formal reality, and how does it relate to objective reality?
A:
Formal reality: The actual existence of something (e.g., a tree in the world).
Objective reality: The existence of an idea in the mind (e.g., the idea of the tree).
Ideas must have a cause with at least as much formal reality as their objective reality.
This principle helps Descartes prove the existence of God.
Q: Why does Descartes claim the idea of perfection could not come from himself?
A:
He is finite and imperfect, and his ideas reflect his limitations.
The idea of perfection contains more reality than he possesses.
He cannot be the cause of the idea of perfection.
Therefore, the cause must be a perfect being: God.
Q: How does Descartes prove God’s existence in Meditation 3?
A:
Idea of Perfection: The idea of a perfect being must come from a perfect being.
Cause of My Existence: A perfect being caused my existence as a finite thinking thing.
Causal Principle: The cause must have at least as much reality as its effect.
Conclusion: Therefore, God, as the infinite perfect being, must exist.
Q: Why is it important that God is not a deceiver?
A:
Deception is a form of imperfection.
A perfect being lacks nothing and cannot deceive.
This guarantees that clear and distinct ideas are true.
It eliminates doubts about mathematics and objective truths.
Q: What is the source of human error, according to Meditation 4?
A:
Error arises from the misuse of faculties: will and intellect.
Intellect is finite; it provides limited knowledge.
Will is infinite; it can affirm or deny beyond the scope of intellect.
Errors occur when the will exceeds the intellect.
Q: How does Descartes propose to avoid error?
A:
Limit judgments to what is clearly and distinctly understood.
Do not let the will affirm or deny beyond the intellect’s capacity.
This careful use of faculties ensures truth.
Q: What is Descartes’ argument for the existence of objective truths in Meditation 5?
A:
Mathematical truths (e.g., properties of triangles) are clear and distinct.
These truths exist independently of whether we think about them.
Their necessity reflects the perfection of their cause: God.
Therefore, God guarantees the existence of objective truths.
Q: How does Descartes use the idea of perfection to prove God’s necessary existence in Meditation 5?
A:
Like mathematical truths, certain aspects of a triangle exist regardless of our thoughts.
These truths are independent of our minds.
Similarly, the concept of perfection includes existence.
Therefore, God’s perfection and existence are necessary and independent of our perception.
Q: How does Descartes prove the existence of corporeal reality in Meditation 6?
A:
Sensations compel belief in external objects; this compulsion is not under our control.
If corporeal reality did not exist, God would be a deceiver.
God is not a deceiver; therefore, corporeal objects exist.
Corporeal reality has extension and obeys mathematical truths.
Q: How does Descartes resolve the dream problem in Meditation 6?
A:
Dreams lack coherence and continuity; they are not joined to memory.
Reality integrates with memory and forms a stable flow of experiences.
Dreams combine ideas (e.g., gold + mountain) but lack the continuity of waking life.
Therefore, waking life is distinguishable and reliable.
Q: What is the purpose of the senses, according to Meditation 6?
A:
Senses serve the conservation and survival of the body.
They signal how external interactions affect us (e.g., pain from fire).
Senses are not for understanding truth but for practical awareness.
Knowledge of the nature of objects comes from intellect, not senses.
