Descartes and innatism

What is Descartes' cogito?

R1: Whatever thinks exists.
R2: I think.
C: Therefore, I must exist.

What did D believe about his cogito?

That it is a form of innate knowledge

Why is this problematic?

Because it comes in the form of a syllogism, meaning it was reaches as a result of reasoning. Because he has to reason to it, it must have been acquired at some point.

What does Cottingham compare D's thinking of innate knowledge to?

Ideas and knowledge might be in the book (mind) but require careful reading (thinking) to bring them out. It seems that Descartes thought of the cogito as an innate self-verifying thought. Descartes will argue that something doesn't cease to be innate simply because I have to become aware it is innate.

What issue arises from this?

It means we could question what the difference between innate and an acquired ideas are- innate ideas ALSO have to be uncovered. Wouldn't it be simpler to say there are only acquired ideas- Ockham's razor.

What are logical principles?

General claims about how it is possible to think, which we are born with. Their necessity and universality mean that they cannot be acquired by experience. They are not given by experience, but rather make it possible. Nor were they given by reason, but rather make reason possible.

Give three classic exampled of logical principles.

The law of identity (Whatever is, is.)
The law of non-contradiction- (Nothing can be and not be)
The law of excluded middle- (There is nothing intermediate between something being so, and not being so.)

What is Parmenides' logical principle?

nothing comes from nothing

When do logical principles hold?

Logical principles are supposed to hold everywhere with an unwavering mustness (necessity). Descartes claims that it is not possible for this universality and necessity to arise from experience. Ideas and knowledge gained by experience are only ever tentative. We generalise from some experience with caution and in a limited manner.

What does the trademark arg claim?

We have innate knowledge of God's existence. However, Descartes also draws the intermediate conclusion that we are born with an innate idea of God.

What is the trademark arg?

R1: The cause of anything must be at least as perfect as it's effect.
(D. sees CAP as an innate principle.)
R2: My ideas must be caused by something.
R3: I am an imperfect being.
R4: I have the idea of God, which is that of a perfect being.
IC1: I cannot be the cause of my idea of God.
IC2: Only a perfect being (i.e. God) can be the cause of my idea of God (i.e. God must have left it innate in me at creation).
C: Therefore, God must exist.

What is the first issue with the trademark arg?

It is not clear that the idea of God is not produced by abstraction. We can date the arrival of a concept of God, which is precisely what you would expect if it were arrived at by abstraction and not what you might expect if the idea of God were innate. It could've been due to a culture war- isolated tribes develop their concept of God, then meet other trues and add perfections to beat the other until God is supremely perfect.