Descartes Meditation 2 (K&D)

Question 1

Summary of meditation 2

Answer 1

• reminds reader of serious nature of his doubts
• restates intention to find certainty in hopes of finding something greater
• sets task of finding one belief that might resist the doubts he has raised
• questions his existence because he doubts the existence of body and senses
• supposes this may lead to belief that he also dosent exist

Question 2

Why does descartes conclude that his existence must be certain?

Answer 2

He must exist in order to be deceived about senses and body, and all things called into doubt

Question 3

How has descartes achieved his first aim of finding something that is indubitable?

Answer 3

Because he has came to the belief that the knowledge of him existing is certain, from this he debates what the ‘I’ that exists is. He argues mind and body are separate and in essence he is a ‘thing that thinks’

Question 4

Analysis/evaluation of the ‘cogito’

Answer 4

• ‘I am: I exist’ is self authenticating meaning any time u express thought or think it it must be true as it justifies itself so dosent require any further justification
• criticisms for the ‘cogito’ are based around introduction of malicious demon

Question 5

How does the malicious demon call into question the validity of the cogito (I am: I exist) ? (Reason)

Answer 5

The doubt raised by the hypothetical malicious demon into question the reliability of logic itself

Question 6

How would descartes respond to the reason critism of the cogito - I am: I exist?

Answer 6

• he thinks knowledge can be relied on
• all thought becomes impossible and we cannot embark on the process of meditating if we do not rely on our process of reasoning to be trustworthy
• so maybe we should accept the cogito

HOWEVER, some philosophers argue he should not of put the idea of the malicious demon out there as it undermines reason. If this is true then descartes has arrived at a dead end and there is nothing more he can know

Question 7

Critism of the cogito and language

Answer 7

• doubts raised by call into question not just a posteriori knowledge but also apriori knowledge claims. Even 2+3=5 is open to doubt.
• the demon surely could make us think these concepts mean something different then they dk
• cogito is supposed to be self evident and even survive demon hypothesis.
• but descartes cogito uses language concepts and must know what ‘thought’, ‘doubt’, ‘experience’ and ‘i’ is
• how can we be sure of the meanings of these concepts, maybe we can’t be sure of the cogito

Question 8

Descartes response to critism of language

Answer 8

• in med 1 Descartes suggest that the malicious demon could make us think 2+3=5 when it dosent, later in med 3 he recognises that when he fully focuses on the idea he is as certain about it as his own existence
• difference between carelessly thinking about claim 2+3=5 and really carefully considering concepts.
• language concepts must be assumed to be understood as without them we can’t embark upon the meditations at all
• true sceptic mag argue we can’t rely on fundamental language concepts and thus the project of meditations is doomed from outset

Question 9

Problems with descartes assumptions about the self

Answer 9

• when descartes claims ‘I exist’ he claims to know more than he is entitled to, given the nature of his doubts.
• Hume is an empiricist, meaning he thinks all knowledge comes from experience. The concept of ‘self’ is just a bunch of perceptions -heat or cold, pain or pleasure.- Descartes has no right to claim to be ‘a thing that things’ this assumes there is a persistent self rather than just a bunch of perceptions
• be claims to be thinking but maybe he only has a perception of thinking taking place. It isn’t possible to know that thoughts require a thinker or there is self that exists beyond perception