Descartes Flashcards
Who was not satisfied by Plato’s theory of forms?
Aritstotle
How does Aristotle make it possible to have scientific knowledge of the things of the world?
(4 pts)
-He believes that the things of the world have something to teach us
-We must be able to observe the essence of things that which does not change
-The form of something is its soul, its essence. By observing the form of something, I can know the truth
-The idea that we can observe things, and find through their form, the key of what they are, which is their essence
Who was more empirical?
Aristotle
What does Aristotle believe about the eye and axe and the truth of the form of things?
eye:
The form of the eye is what makes an eye an eye, the form of the eye is what allows us to see.
The eye-ness of the eye is in the form of the eye.
Axe:
what makes an axe an axe is the form of an axe. The soul of the axe, Its cuttingness, sharpness is what makes it an axe.
The axe-ness of an axe is what makes an axe an axe
Who was a rationalist?
Descartes
What does Descartes believe about the soul?
-The soul is what animates a body
-What animates a body is its: feeding, movement, feeling, thinking
What are two elements of Aristotle’s theory of movement?/How does Aristotle explain movement?
Potential and act
-The act is the final resting position or actualization of things, having become what they are.
-To be an act is to be at rest, accomplished
-The potential of things is its movement to the point where it becomes what it really is
What does Descartes propose about thinking?
“I think, so therefore i exist” - He believed that the act of thinking was proof of human existence.
What is thinking?
doubting, understanding, willing, desiring
What are the fundamental expressions of Descartes?/How is Descartes idea of “thinking” different from what a computer does?
- Freedom
- Doubting
- self-reflecting
- Temporality of self-hood
which can shown to explain “I think, therefore I exist”- which would mean the act of thinking is proof of human existence
What does it mean to say that Descartes’ scientific method is inspired by Euclid?
-Uses geometry
-Universal fundamental mathematics as a method for everything, starts off by identifying fundamental axioms, which do not require any definitions.
What is Descartes idea of radical doubt?
Radical doubt is an idea that allows him to doubt everything he has learned, doubt everything to see if it stands up to criticism or not
He wans to come up with this BLANK BLANK, where we can apply the same method everywhere, but we must first begin by identifying the BLANK BLANK , and that is the principle that does not require any BLANK
Universal mathematics, fundamental axions, definitions
What is scientific skepticism?
-In order to see whether there is anything short at all
-The first meditations is the the process called scientific skepticism which a mature, motivated skepticism
What does Descartes’ analysis of the wax show him about knowledge of the things of the world?
-Everything is constantly changing
-Things can be an illusion and sometimes reality is not what it appears to be
-Things are capable of changing forms, nothing is really the same over time
