Descartes, Locke + Leibnitz

Question 1

What was the enlightenment?

Answer 1

A period of growth in Philosophy.

Question 2

What period were Descartes, Locke and Leibnitz a part of?

Answer 2

Descartes: 1596-1650.
Locke: 1632-1704.
Leibnitz: 1646-1714.

Question 3

What were Descartes’ 4 principles?

Answer 3

Scepticism.
Mechanism.
Dualism.
Nativism.

Question 4

Explain Scepticism.

Answer 4

Descartes doubted everything.

Critical of the Christian bible and Ancient Greek Philosophers.

Question 5

Explain Mechanism.

Answer 5

Body is mechanical. Used the hydraulic fountains at St Germaine as a metaphor.

Question 6

Explain Dualism.

Answer 6

I think therefore I am or exist.
Mind, soul and ego must be distinct from the body but dependent on it.
Soul was in pineal gland.

Question 7

Explain Nativism.

Answer 7

Soul has innate ideas that derive from its nature not experience.
Things exist and move at some extension in space.

Question 8

What were Locke’s two major works?

Answer 8

An essay concerning human understanding.

Two treatises of government.

Question 9

What did Two Treatises of Government discuss (Locke)?

Answer 9

Led to the UN declaration of human rights and social contract.
Spoke of natural rights.
Lead to the US declaration of independence.

Question 10

What did An Essay Concerning Human Understanding discuss (Locke)?

Answer 10

Believed that the mind was a passive blank state.
Knowledge came from experience.
Contradicted Descartes’ view on nativism.

Question 11

How do infants learn (Locke)?

Answer 11

We perceive sensory simple ideas and then combine these to produce complex ideas.

Question 12

What causes the association of ideas?

Answer 12

Experience - this leads to a very flexible and powerful learning system.

Question 13

Name the three factors that drive association.

Answer 13

Contiguity - experiencing things together.
Similarity.
Custom - prior knowledge.

Question 14

Briefly explain Molyneux’s problem.

Answer 14

If a blind man can suddenly see will he be able to distinguish between the shapes (as this was derived from touch)?
Locke believed you couldn’t distinguish.

Question 15

What are primary qualities (Locke)?

Answer 15

These are properties that are definitely in the object.

Question 16

What are secondary qualities (Locke)?

Answer 16

These are properties which are our perception of objects.

There can be errors in these.

Question 17

Name one of the main issues in Locke’s theory of nurture?

Answer 17

Experience can’t lead us to understand abstract concepts like infinity. There must be native properties of the mind.

Question 18

What did Leibnitz invent with Newton?

Answer 18

Calculus.

Question 19

Briefly explain Leibnitz’ infinitesimal.

Answer 19

We should never reach anything where we could say, here is the real thing.
The ultimate units of the world are not things but forces.

Question 20

What did Leibnitz’ New Essays on Human Understanding suggest?

Answer 20

That the mind is not a blank slate but is instead a veined block of marble.
Human consciousness is on a continuum from apperception to perception.

Question 21

State and explain Leibnitz’ four Monads.

Answer 21

Bare Monads: sleep bodies.
Sentient Monads: capable of conscious sensation and perception. Memory and attention.
Rational Monads: Lots of sentient monads. Capable of apperception (ideas receive focused attention and rational analysis).
Supreme Monad: The mind of God.

Question 22

What is Leibnitz’ view of nativism in comparison with Locke and Descartes.

Answer 22

Leibnitz was a nativist - opposition with Locke, in agreement with Descartes.

Question 23

What did Spinoza believe?

Answer 23

That there are multiple forces that cause things to happen in the world not just God.

Question 24

Briefly explain Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 and System 2.

Answer 24

System 1: automatic, quick processes.
System 2: effortful mental activities that demand attention.
Shows how debate of empiricism - nativism continues.