Empiricist responses

Question 1

Hume’s fork as applied to Descartes’s ontological argument.

Answer 1

an idea has to come from an impression

Question 2

hume’s fork

Answer 2

Hume fork- concepts are either relations of ideas or matter of fact

Question 3

relations of ideas

Answer 3

Covers maths, geometry, and logic
The certainty level is absolute
We know by thinking about the concepts alone – a priori
Reliance on how the world is- no truth does not rely on how the world is or even the existence of objects
Is the opposite conceivable? No, it is true by definition ie analytic truths.

Question 4

matter of fact

Answer 4

Coves facts and generalisation about the world
The certainty level is not 100% different levels of probability
We know by experience – a posteriori
Reliance on how the world is- complete reliance on how the world relies on the existence of objects and how they operate
Is the opposite conceivable? Yes the opposite is conceivable and possible it is not true by definition a synthetic truth.

Question 5

why is that the name?

Answer 5

Its called hume fork to poke at the rationalist
Rationalists claim we can have a priori knowledge of the world
Hume’s fork claims that it is impossible
A priori knowledge will only tell you the relations of ideas
What Hume is claiming is if you want knowledge of anything matter of fact it needs to be a posterior not a priori
We need to do empirical investigation, eg the monster on Bodmin moor
If you want to know anything exist you need to empirical investigate it not just think it

Question 6

Humes thinking goes deeper

Answer 6

for anything that does exist ie Is a matter of fact, that thing could be thought of as none exists.

The existence of nothing can be established just by relations of ideas
For anything that is a relation of idea it can’t be conceivable without realise
The idea of god can be distorted.

Question 7

25 mark structure

Answer 7

Does Descartes produce a priori knowledge of the world through his intuition and deduction thesis (25 mark)

Structure

Intro
define terms - a priori intuition deduction
Implications - Empiricism would be wrong
If Descartes is right in claiming that we can have a priori knowledge through intuition and deduction then empiricism would be wrong.
Scholars- Descartes, hume. Kant, Berkeley,
Conclusion- thesis- do you think Descartes does produce a priori knowledge of the world through intuition and deduction

Perel section 1
Eva Descartes cogito
Point- Descartes claims we can achieve knowledge of our own existence thought aprori intuition
Explain Descartes cogito as an a priori intuition
Responses from Hume and Russell
Eva weight up the argument does Descartes produce a priori knowledge of his own existence through intuition
Link- link to the question what have you established? I have therefore have established that decsarte has can prove his own existent thought intuition and Descartes in and a priroi manner. We can now move on to examine to see if descarte can prove if we know anything else through intuition and deduction.

Perel section 2
One of Descartes’s arguments for the existence of a god
Point- Descartes claims we can provide the existence of God through intuition and deduction
Explain- explain your chosen argument and has it uses intuition and deductions
Response- criticism of your chosen argument
Eva- weight up the argument and ts criticism
Link- link to the questions- what have you established so far?

Perel3
Descartes’s proof of the external world
Point- Descartes’s claims of the existence of the external world can be proven through intuition and deduction
Explain- explain Descartes’s arguments for the external world
Response- explain criticism of Descartes’s proof of the external
Eva- weight the above argument do you think Descartes proves the existence of the external world through intuition and deduction.
Link- link back to the question

Conclusion
Refer- refer to the question
Judge- make your own overall reasoned judgement- are any of Descartes’s arguments successful in proving that we can have a priori knowledge of the world through intuition and deduction