Descartes Meditation 2 Flashcards
Where is Descartes at the end of meditation 1?
He is in a state of hyperbolic doubt which is what he intended at the start of med 1 because he wanted to defeat the sceptics by becoming the ultimate sceptic.
At the end of Meditation 1, how did Descartes know he existed ?
Because he could think and to be able to think, you have to exist.
What does cogito ergo sum mean?
I think, therefore I am
What is the cogito?
Cogito ergo sum, also known as I am, I exist, is Descartes first piece of foundational knowledge
Does I am, I exist survive the evil demon argument and why?
Yes because Descartes believes that rationalism should be the foundation of all knowledge and not empiricism.
What does Descartes use the Cogito to do?
He uses the cogito as firm ground to stand and work to restore his beliefs
Finish the quote… “I am, I exist is necessarily true…
“…everytime it is uttered or conceieved by me.”
What are the strengths of the Cogito?
- It allows for the discovery of other foundational truths - Descartes reaches his aim in finding a foundational truth that he can rebuild his knowledge upon.
- Descartes maintains his scepticism and doesn’t deviate away from his aim. He is still questioning and being sceptical to ensure that what he concludes has no doubt.
- He is certain of his own existence - he is sure that he is a thinking thing, but he hasn’t proven anything else at this point.
What are the weaknesses of the cogito?
- The malicious demon and reason - described as self authenticating, meaning you prove it every time you say it. It’s contradicting to say “I don’t exist” because to be able to say that, you have to exist.
- The evil demon could be messing with our powers of reason. The doubt raised by the hypothetical evil demon might mean that we must doubt the reliability of logic and our own power of reason.
