Descartes Meditation 1

Question 1

What is A Priori knowledge?

Answer 1

-Does not require sense experience to know it to be true.
- Knowledge gained through logic and reason

Question 2

What is an example of A Priori knowledge?

Answer 2

Mathematics e.g 2+2=4

Question 3

What is A Posteriori knowledge ?

Answer 3

Knowledge gained through experience.

Question 4

What is an example of A Posteriori knowledge?

Answer 4

There are more than 6 billion people on earth

Question 5

What is rationalism?

Answer 5

Rationalism claims that we gain knowledge through logic and reasoning.

Question 6

What is empiricism?

Answer 6

Empiricists claim that all our knowledge comes from experience.

Question 7

What were Descartes aims for Med 1?

Answer 7

• To find certainty
• To establish something ‘firm and lasting’ in the sciences
• To build a theory of knowledge so strong it cannot be doubted
• To defeat the sceptics
• To show the superiority of rationalism

Question 8

What is a sceptic?

Answer 8

Someone who believes you cannot know anything for certain and every piece of knowledge can be doubted.

Question 9

What were Descartes four arguments in Med 1 ?

Answer 9

• The Senses argument
• The dreaming argument
• The Deceiving God argument
• The evil demon argument

Question 10

What is Descartes Method of Doubt ?

Answer 10

“raze everything to the ground and begin again from the foundations”

The apple cart analogy - go through all his prior knowledge and throw away anything that can be doubted.

Question 11

Finish the quote… “It is a mark of prudence…”

Answer 11

“…never to trust wholly in those who have deceived us even once”

Question 12

Finish the quote… “Whatever I had admitted until now as most true…

Answer 12

“… I took in either from the senses or through the senses”

Question 13

In the senses argument what did Descartes note?

Answer 13

that there were times when his senses have deceived him.

Question 14

When have Descartes senses deceived him before?

Answer 14

When observing things far away because they look smaller than they actually are.

Question 15

What does the senses argument doubt?

Answer 15

Some A posteriori knowledge but not all.

Question 16

Was the senses argument successful and why?

Answer 16

Yes because it builds in reasonable steps and Descartes starts by saying that some senses may deceive us before discounting them completely.

Question 17

Why should sight be questioned in the senses argument?

Answer 17

Because it can be deceptive as objects from far away appear smaller than they actually are.

Question 18

What does the dreaming argument destroy reliance on ?

Answer 18

A Posteriori knowledge but not A Priori.

Question 19

What are our dreams a representation of?

Answer 19

The reality of a physical world.

Question 20

Finish the quote… “There are no definitive signs…”

Answer 20

“… to distinguish being awake from being asleep”

Question 21

Finish the quote… “even if I am fast asleep…”

Answer 21

“… the truths preserved in mathematics cannot be doubted.”

Question 22

When Descartes is dreaming his grasp of reality is no more certain that if he were…

Answer 22

…awake and insane

Question 23

What did Descartes once dream?

Answer 23

That he was sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace when he was actually in his bed fast asleep.

Question 24

What still exists in dreams?

Answer 24

A Priori truths like mathematical truths and geometry. Also, legs and arms because they are rooted in real likeness which shows that Descartes is still considering a physical world.

Question 25

What are the strengths of the dreaming argument?

Answer 25

• Everyone has experienced the feeling of waking up and not knowing if they are dreaming or awake.
• It’s true to say that we sometimes mistake the dreaming experience for conscious experience when we are asleep.

Question 26

What are the weaknesses of the dreaming argument?

Answer 26

• Even if we mistake dreaming for being conscious, we never mistake being conscious for dreaming.
• Dreams lack detail and important information as the brain cannot process so much detail and events that happen in dreams are often random and haphazard.

Question 27

What is the purpose of the deceiving God argument?

Answer 27

To cast doubt on A Priori knowledge.

Question 28

Finish the quote… “I do not know a…”

Answer 28

“…deceiving God does not exist”

Question 29

What does Descartes consider God is deceiving him about?

Answer 29

Mathematical truths.

Question 30

What does Descartes think God is?

Answer 30

• Omnipotent (all power)
• Omniscient (all knowledge)

Question 31

If God is omnipotent and omniscient then what could he do?

Answer 31

He has the power to deceived Descartes about mathematical truths.

Question 32

Why does Descartes think God wouldn’t deceive him?

Answer 32

Because he is omnibenevolent (all loving) and wouldn’t want to deceive Descartes.

Question 33

Why is the deceiving God argument not very effective?

Answer 33

Because Descartes very quickly dismisses the possibility of God deceiving him which casts doubt on Descartes method of doubt because he is not being consistent.

Question 34

What happens in the Evil Demon argument?

Answer 34

Descartes considers the existence of an evil demon who is not all loving and is determined to deceive him.

Question 35

Finish the quote… “Thus I will suppose…”

Answer 35

“…not a supremely good God but rather an evil demon who is dedicated to spending its entire efforts to misleading me”

Question 36

What does Descartes present the Evil Demon argument as and why?

Answer 36

He presents it as a hypothesis because he does not actually believe in the evil demon.

Question 37

What does Descartes consider the evil demon is tricking him about?

Answer 37

A Priori truths such as mathematics and geometry.

Question 38

Why is the evil demon argument Descartes most sceptical argument?

Answer 38

Because it makes him think about and unlikely truth and Descartes ends up in a state of hyperbolic doubt - this is what he aimed to do and it shows that his arguments have been successful.

Question 39

At the end of Med 1, evaluate Descartes method of doubt

Answer 39

At the end of Meditation 1, it can be argued that Descartes method of doubt was rigorous and served as a very effective destructive phase.

Question 40

What is wrong with Descartes method of doubt?

Answer 40

He is too strict because we should be able to be certain about something and have a small element of doubt. Also, his expectation of all knowledge having to be indubitable is unreasonable.