Descartes - The Meditations - Thales

Test Friday, go over annotations and notes

When did he write the Meditations?

1639

When did he live?

1596-1650

Who was Descartes?

A French Mathematician, scientist and philosopher

What dis his dad do?

He was a lawyer

What other job did Descartes do?

Joined the Dutch Republic Army

What was he interested in?

Optics, meteorology and geometery

What other works did he write?

The Principles of Philosophy (1644)

What court did he enter into?

Queen Christina of Sweden (1649

What is skepticism?

the belief that having certain knowledge is impossible.

What is rationalism?

the school of thought that purposes knowledge, comes from pure reasoning

What is Cartesian Dualism?

when the mind and body are two separate/different substances.

What are all of the Meditations?

1) Skeptical Doubts
2) The One Thing
3) God's Existence
4)The Deceiver
5) Material Things and God
6) Mind vs Body

What kind of philosopher was Descartes?

Early modern philosopher

What is Descartes method for finding certainty?

He eliminates all things he knows are true to find out what is false. Essentially questioning

Why does Descartes doubt his senses?

He doubts his senses because he can be picking up false information from what he sees, touches, ect... and can be passing that false knowledge along.

Why is it difficult to doubt dreams?

It is difficult to doubt dreams because they seem very real from what we can see and how well they correspond to reality.

What element of dreams cannot be imagined?

The element of dreams that cannot be imagined is color.

Can we doubt universal principles of math and reasoning?

He can doubt them because they set rules that are not subject to change. But he could be deceived by an evil god.

What are things Descartes doubts at the end of meditation one?

He doubts dreams, science, gods goodness and math.

What is one thing he can be sure of?

He is sure that he is real because he is a thinking being.

What are some of the attributes Descartes gives the body?

a face, organs, bones, flesh, hands, it can walk, arms, can be moved by other things, it can take up space, as magnitude, all senses.

What are some attributes Descartes gives the soul?

it's like the wind, 'ether', rare, subtle, think, reason, understand, doubt, dream, affirms and denies, has emotions.

What kind of thing is Descartes according to himself?

He is a questioning, thinking being that is real and exists. I think therefore I am.

Can a piece of wax be known through the senses?

Wax cannot be known through the senses because it is changing but Descartes knows that it is the same piece of wax.

Can a piece of wax be k down through the imagination?

A piece of wax cannot be known through the imagination because if our mind makes it up it can not be real. The mind does not perceive real things through imagination.

Can a piece of wax be known through the intellect?

It can be known through the intellect.

What are two kinds of thought Descartes describes?

Ideas and actions of ideas.

Which kind of thought can be false?

The thought that can be seen as false are things that are from outside of the body. judgments.

What are the three kinds of ideas Descartes describes?

The three kinds of ideas he describes are innate, adventitious(some from the outside), and formed by himself.

What purpose does he use the analogy of the sun for/

He uses the sun to talk about how things that exist outside the body and him are probably formed in his mind or not true. Adventitious ideas are not reliable.

Could Descartes invented God?

He could not have created God because God is not a doubting thing. Descartes is a doubting thing.

Was Descartes a skeptic?

No, he used scepitcism to prove that he is a thinking being.