Ch. 3 : Decartes, Locke, berkley and Hume

Question 1

Which perspective did Descartes applied when it comes to epistemology?

Answer 1

Rationalism

Question 2

Explain Descartes’ method of DOUBT

Answer 2

Doubt is used to obtain true knowledge. Anything that can be doubted is uncertin and should for this reason not be refarded as knowledge. Only that which cannot be doubted can count as real knowledge. He is a rationalist, therefore regards the senses as not trustworthy. Only one thing is certain : Cogito ergo sum.

Question 3

‘Cogito ergo sum’ explain

Answer 3

After doubting everything, what is left? In doubting everything he know one only thing for certain, that he is doubting. HE has a body therefore he has to exist. I THINK THEREFORE I AM ( res cogitans+res extensa)

Question 4

Res Cogitans

Answer 4

Thinking thing

Question 5

Res extensas

Answer 5

Physical thing

Question 6

Malin genie

Answer 6

all-poweful demon that constantly attempts to decieve us

Question 7

What is the relationship between res cogitans and res exensas and what is the problem if we consider human beings as a unity of the two?

Answer 7

the ‘res extensa’ as spatial dimentions, while ‘res cogitans’ doesn’t. These two ways of being seem to belong to two different realms that cannot interact. How can they move each other? How can we explain their interaction?

Question 8

What epiistemologic perspective does Locke advocate?

Answer 8

Empiricism. He is one of the three British empiricists

Question 9

Explain what Lock means by stating that we are born with a mind that’s like a ‘White paper, void of all characters’.

Answer 9

We do not possess any inborn knwoledge and we dont obtain knowledge through reasoning, but instead through EXPERIENCE

Question 10

How do we obtain knowledge accoriding to Locke?

Answer 10

Experience

Question 11

What do our mental representations stem from according to Locke?

Answer 11

From Sensation and Reflection

Question 12

Explain what SENSATION and REFLECTIOn refer to when talking about Locke.

Answer 12

SENSATION = Source of most ideas we have. depemds on our senses and how we derive it through understanding. (Cold, Hot, White, etc)

REFLECTION = Mind reflection and its own operation with itself

Question 13

Locke draws a distinction between 3 types of properties, how does he call them?

Answer 13

QUALITIES : primary, seondary and tertiary.

Question 14

Explain Locke’s 3 qualities

Answer 14

PRIMARY QUALITY = quality of the object no matter how we percieve it, independently from who percieves it.

SECONDARY QUALITY = quality that only exits linked to who percieves it , for example smell or sound. They very from mind to mind, and simply cease to exist if no one is around to perceieve them.

TERTIARY QUALITY = quality caused by one object changing the other, e.g the sun melting hot wax.

Question 15

Snowball concept

Answer 15

Primary quality = it is round
Secondary quality = it is white
Tertiary = it melts in the hot sun

Question 16

What is the empiricist problem with the distinciton between primary and secondary qualities made by Locke?

Answer 16

If you are a true empiricist and therefore trust your senses, how can you make a distinction between the two categories when they are both percieved by the observer thorugh their senses? How do you decide that some qualities cease to exist ? If they did then how could we assert that the senses actually give us knowledge of the world as it is?

Question 17

What constitues experience?

Answer 17

Sensation + Reflection . Sensation is the source of msot ideas we have, depending on our senses and how we derive it thorugh understanding , while Reflection is the mind’s own operation with itself.

Question 18

What is Berkeley’s response to Locke’s qualities distinction?

Answer 18

He argues that there is no such thing as a two-fold existences of ideas adn the objects they are supposed to resemble. If what locke says is true, how do we know shapes are really there if we have to rely only on our experience of them? ESSE EST PERCIPI

Question 19

Explain Berkley’s concept of ESSE ES PERCIPI

Answer 19

‘To be is to be perceived’. Objects only have an ideal, not real or material existence. Thery are a collection of ideas. Eg. Cherry =if you take away the softeness, redness andother mental constructs, what is left of it?

But the how do we know that something still exists when we are not percieving it? ETERNAL GOD

Question 20

How does Berkley explain objects’ existence when we are not perceiveng them?

Answer 20

An ominipresent Eternal God who always keeps watch and percieves objects.

Question 21

What is Berkley’s stance on the dualism of res cogitans and res extensa?

Answer 21

He claims that the only substance that exists is the mental substance, and that all physical objects are determined by that substance and not vice versa.