Descartes Flashcards
What is the phrase that Descartes came to when searching for perfect, undoubtable knowledge?
“Cogito ergo sum” - “I think therefore I exist”
What is the full title of Meditations? What does the term “First Philosophy” refer to?
“Meditations on first philosophy: in which it is demonstrated that god exists and that the soul is distinct from the body”
“First Philosphy” refers to the roots of the tree of knowledge, the nature of truth itself
How did Descartes choose logic as the method for attaining undoubtable knowledge? Describe his breakdown of scientific method, mathematics, and logic
Scientific method - Can only give us PROBABLE knowledge because the senses can decieve
Mathematics - Deals with axioms, the idea that “IF ______ IS POSSIBLE, THEN _____”, but this is completely conditional and relies on the first blank being possible
Logic - Demonstrates the axioms of mathematics. Intelligible means can be used to prove these things
What is Descartes’ argument about the possibility of provable knowledge about nature?
Descartes argues that if we cannot have true knowledge of nature (our senses deceive us), and nature comes from god, then god is decieving. But god is perfect and cannot be decieving.
God DID, however, cause our reason. God is the cause of the reason we use to determine that our knowledge of nature is flawed. The natural world must be knowable because it has the same first cause as our cogito.
And, therefore, if god does not exist we cannot have provable knowledge of nature.
Describe Descartes’ argument for the essence of god
If the essence of god necessitates it’s existing, it must exist.
If god does not exist, our cogito must have caused it. But, our cogito cannot cause something that is perfect and immutable.
Therefore, god exists?
