Descartes Intuition and Deduction Thesis

Define intuition

ability to immediately grasp a self evident truth , they are a priori

e.g. Cogito argument

Define deduction

ability to logically demonstrate a truth without justification from experience , not immediate takes several steps

e.g. Trademark + the reality of the external world arguments

What are the premises and conclusions for the cogito argument

P1. I am a thinking thing

P2. All thinking things exist

C . Therefore I exist

Define Descartes notion of “ clear and distinct “ ideas

Clear ideas refer to what is bright , vivid and present

Distinct is when it is separated from other ideas

Example : Cogito argument and triangles have three sides

Is the cogito argument a priori/ posterior , and why ?

A priori , we do not require sense experience to know or justify that we are a thinking thing as we can be conscious of that from birth that we think and it it something we are accustom to innately , experience does not give us the ability to think

What is a criticism of the cogito argument from Hume ?

Hume - cannot have a priori knowledge of self

all concepts, copies of sense impressions

no sense impression of self , only observe emotion and body temp

self is not clear and distinct - BUNDLE OF IMPRESSIOSN

What would Descartes respond to Hume’s Bundle of impression criticism ?

Argument contradictory - refers to “I “ doing the perceiving

No particular experience associated with self