Descartes Slides notes Flashcards
Descartes is considered the father of what?
the father of modern philosophy
What century was Descartes alive in?
end of 16th century to middle of 17th century
Is Descartes a rationalist or a empiricist?
rationalist
What is the intention of Descartes meditations?
to persuade
Descartes is a founding figure of what?
the enlightenment
What was the modern turn in philosophy
a move from scala naturae to a mechanistic view
Mechanistic view
There are universal laws and things in the world that behave a certain way bc of these laws
Scala naturae
ladder/stairs of nature
Nature is set up w a purpose or goal in mind
Descartes wants to move to this figure
the duck
- mechanistic view
The duck
focus on the inner workings of things
things are explained via evolution
what did descartes argue for?
the mind-body problem
the existence of god
What did descartes write for a living?
catholic textbooks
what happened to descartes as a result of his philosophy?
he was threatened with explusion and book burnings so he fled to Hague (Netherlands) under the protection of the Prince of Orange
Did descartes believe in god?
Yes
What happened to Descartes in 1649
He joined the court of Queen Christina of Sweden and made to discuss philosophy at 5am everyday
When did Descartes die?
1650
who was scholastic philosophy deeply influenced by?
aristotle
Scholastic philosophy
Medieval
What does scholastic philosophy start with?
the bible
Who is the “Auctor”
God
Why did the scholastics love Artistotle?
He does not totalize like Plato does
He left room for not knowing, faith, etc.
He starts with what is already known
philology
love of logos
What did the scholastics do in cases of disagreement?
they used sententiae
There is no question about ____ in scholasticism
the auctor
What did scholasticism believe about science?
there is not one unified science
Each science has its own proper object of study
what does scholasticism believe about the world?
there is not a unified world
substantial forms
specific to each thing + characteristics
Ex: whiteness, bear-ness
Descartes believes this explains nothing
what does each substantial form have?
its own purpose
implies a Creator with an overall plan
Entelechy
purpose
The modern turn moves from a start of ______ to a start of _______
Instead of starting with Faith/ Authority (Scholastic) –>
Starts with Rational Certainty (Modern)
Modern turn: Instead of separate sciences (Scholastic) —>
A unified philosophy (Modern)
Modern turn: Instead of Substantial Forms, Teleology (Scholastic) —>
Mechanical explanations of physical things
(Modern)
Rational certainity
Only believe those things which cannot be denied
what is the starting point for Descartes?
Hyperbolic doubt
Hyperbolic doubt
Not each individual opinion, but their basic principles:
“Once the foundations of a building are undermined, anything built
on them collapses of its own accord.”
First thing you can doubt
small, far away things
Why are small, far away things easy to doubt
because the senses can fail us
Second easiest thing to doubt
where I am; What I am wearing. Etc.
Why is “where I am; What I am wearing. Etc.” easy to doubt
Because I could be dreaming/on drugs/crazy
Third easiest thing to doubt
simple ideas
why are simple ideas easy to doubt
because of an evil deceiver
Outside ring of the target
easier to doubt (small, far away things)
inside ring of the target
harder to doubt (simple ideas)
middle ring of target
second easiest to doubt (where I am, what I am wearing etc.)
The painter’s Analogy
The Simplest Elements must be Real
“For whether I am awake or asleep, two and three added together are five, and a square has no more than four sides.” - Descartes
Which sciences are more sure than others?
Arithmetic and geometry are more sure than astronomy and medicine
What is true whether or not you are deceived
I know that “I” exist
even if “I” am always deceived
“Cogito, ego sum”
I think therefore i am
First definition of “I.” Why does it not work?
A rational animal
You would have to define “rational” and “animal”
Second definition of “I”
A body
What does Descartes consider a body to be?
- Something that has a specific location
- Moved from without
- No two can be in the same place
- Nutrition
- Sense Perception
All we know is that
the “I” is a “thinking thing”
Lesson about imagining and knowing
It is often harder to IMAGINE what we KNOW most
clearly (and vice versa)
What is easy to imagine?
the body
what is harder to imagine?
the mind
Which are we more certain exists? mind or body?
mind
So what can we know for sure beyond “I” exist?
Simple (i.e., “clear and distinct”) ideas. (Logic, Math, etc.) but ONLY if there is no supernatural deceiver
How does Descartes plan to prove that there is no supernatural deceiver?
Must prove (1) that God exists, and that (2) He is no deceiver.
first premise of proving God’s existence
(1) I have the idea of God
second premise of proving God’s existence
(2) The idea of God has the most “objective reality” (as an
idea).
(Objective reality: formal/definitional reality)
third premise of proving God’s existence
3) There must be as much reality in the CAUSE as in the
EFFECT.
(i.e., What is more perfect cannot be produced by what is less perfect.)
Fourth premise of proving God’s existence
(4) “I” am only a finite substance.
proving god exists
Therefore, the idea of God could not have come from me; but must be placed in me by an actually existing God! (Innate)
I cannot produce the idea of an infinite thing because I am finite
What is the most real definition?
the definition of God
Example of the Cause and Effect premise
A stove that only goes up to 199 degrees cannot boil water up to 212 degrees but a stove that goes up to 500 degrees can.
Proving God is no Deceiver premises
(1) God exists and is perfect
(2) Deception is an imperfection
Conclusion of premises of proving god is no deceiver
Therefore, God is no deceiver, and would not let us be constantly
deceived by any other supernatural being. (e.g., an evil demon)
The Cartesian Circle
Circular reasoning
I know that what I perceive is true. How? Because God is not a deceiver. How do I know that? Because I perceive that God exists.
What do we know beyond “I am”
We can’t step outside ourselves. Thus we can’t know if our ideas match up with the things out there (Adventitious)
Adventitious ideas
Come from the outside
Invented ideas
made up (fictional)
Innate Ideas
Ideal which is necessarily true (apodictic) & prior to sense experience (a priori)
apodictic
necessarily true
We can’t step outside ourselves therefore ___
we should instead focus on our ideas themselves
What are known through the senses
Scent, sound, taste, texture.
- These all change
Wax example: When you get rid of the senses, what is left?
extension itself
- you know that you have something in front of you.
A priori
before sense experience
A posteriori
after sense experience
takeaway from wax example
1) a distinct idea that bodies exist as extended
2) extended bodies produce ideas in our mind
3) extended things may not resemble our perceptions of them
Fire example
the fire produces heat or pain in US (our senses) but does not necessarily contain heat or pain in itself
The chiliagon example
The imagination (having an “image”) is not necessary to understand with the mind (innate)
2 classes of “Created Substances”
thinking things (res cogitans)
extended things (res extensa)
Thinking things
res cogitans
extended things
res extensa
characteristics of res cogitans
not extended
not divisible
moved from within
what are thinking things (res cogitans)
mind, ideas
What are extended things (res extensa)
every physical thing
characteristics of res extensa
extended
infinitely divisible
moved from without
According to Descartes, how do extended things (res extensa) and thinking things (res cogitans) interact?
the pineal gland
Who did Descartes talk with about the interaction between extended things (res extensa) and thinking things (res cogitans)?
Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia
Conservative solution to interaction problem
By Gottfried Leibniz
- Underneath all that is the soul (God)
Radical solution to interaction problem
By Baruch Spinoza
- The mind is a mechanism. Without the brain, the mind is nothing
