Section 1 Flashcards
Define rationalism
the idea that we can only rely on our reason to know the world
Define empiricism
the idea that we can only rely on our senses to know the world
Was Plato a rationalist or empiricist?
Rationalist
What did Plato think senses contributed to our understanding of the world?
He thought senses provided shadows of and about reality that could not be trusted
According to Plato, what was knowing?
Knowing was a form a remembering; having all the knowledge we need, we just need to rediscover it
What is an all-knowing “cosmos-soul”?
we initially lose all memory of innate knowledge, but it can be recovered through our reason
Describe the allegory of the cave
There were three men who were chained in a cave, and the only thing they could see were shadows projected onto the wall. One of the men gets freed and realized that the shadows were only perceptions and the true things of life were being hidden from them
According to Aristotle, who disagreed with Plato’s theory of forms, what did he think forms referred to?
Organization of matter (forms are in material objects)
With respect to reason and sense, how did Aristotle understand the world?
He felt some credit must be given to our senses, that humans are built to both perceive and interact with the world to promote growth
Was Rene Descartes a rationalist or empiricist?
Rationalist
What is deductive reasoning?
You start from a known fact, and using rules of logic, combine them to form new conclusions
For deductive reasoning to provide a correct conclusion, what is required?
the premises must be valid and rules of logic must be followed
What is a problem with deductive reasoning?
The premises themselves need to be proven, which in itself may be difficult
What is inductive reasoning?
Starts from observations and comes to conclusions through a process of generalization
How did Descartes try to solve the problem of inductive reasoning?
He engaged in pre-emptive skepticism whereby he systematically tried to doubt everything that could be doubted
From the use of skepticism, Descartes made an important conclusion - what was it?
He could not rely on his senses as the only thing he could not doubt was that he could think
Was John Locke a rationalist or empiricist?
Empiricist
How did Locke understand the origin of our minds?
Humans are born as a blank slate and it is experience which develops our minds
Describe Locke’s theory of ideas
Information from our senses enters our minds as “simple ideas” which then come together to form complex ideas
According to Locke, where do simple ideas come from?
Experience
Was David Hume a rationalist or empiricist?
Empiricist
What was Hume’s focus?
He challenged how causation can be understood if everything we know must come from our senses
Did Hume’s believe cause and effect was a true concept?
No, he believed that psychologically we think that relationship exists, but really causation is an illusory belief caused by a mental habit
Describe Immanuel Kant’s theory of mind
He proposed that our minds have some form of a priori mental structure that helps us interpret sensory information