Descartes

1596-1650

Mathematician, scientist and philosopher

rationalism

epistemological view that regards reason as the chief source and test of knoweldge

His focus, was the foundation of true knowledge

Discourse on Method

key sample in history of philosophical litarature

The discourse method was a preface to 3 longer scientific essays

Wrote in French

1 chapter

autobigraphical

Descartes tells his story

this element is needed to show how he manged to guide his reason

2 chapter

4 methodical rles

DIvision: divide problems into their simplest parts

Order: solve problems by proceeding from simple to complex

Evidence: accept nothing as true that is not self-evident

Enumeration: check again the reasoning

Meditations of first philosophy

Meditations are characterised by Descartes "use of methodic doubt, a systematic procedure of rejecting

The illusory world

Descartes aim is to show that even if we start from a skeptical position we can still reach knowledge

2 driving questions:

Is there correspondence between our representations and the things they represent?

Do the things thought by our mind really exist?

First he examines the world (appears illusory)

TO BE CONITUED.........

Criticism towards the Cogito argument

he recived criticism for the Cogito:

Descartes said that Cogito isn’t based on evidence, but on self-evidence

Gassendi said that the Cogito looks like a syllogism

Descartes said Cogito is an immediate intuition of our mind.

Hobbes said that it is wrong to imply that it exists as a thinking substance.

if the Cogito is accepted it could be argued that the rule of evidence is antecedent to the Cogito itself

The existence of god

in the past people thought the cause of the world was God

Before starting we must remember 'nothing comes from nothing?

Descartes distinguishes between:

Formal reality of the ideas

Objective reality of ideas

First Argument a posteriori:

I can’t think of this idea, because it has a level of objective reality which is way bigger than mine

e must assume that the idea of God can be caused only by a perfect entity

among numerouse ideas there is one about god

this perfect entity has to be god

I exist while i'm thinking

Second Argument a posteriori:

I have in my mind the ideas about perfection, infinity, omniscience

If I were the cause of my own existence, I would have given myself perfection, infinity, omniscience and so on

I’m an imperfect and finite being, and I’m aware of it

There must be another entity, which possesses all these qualities, that brought me into existence

I exist while I’m thinking

That other entity corresponds to God.

Third Argument, this time a priori:

Perfection means that all attributes belong to God

If existence was not part of those attributes of God, then it would mean that God is not 100% perfect

God is, by definition, a perfect entity

Then, I must assume coherently with my first premise, that God exists

Descartes 2 Metaforical journeys

from the "I" to "God"

from “God” to “reality"

God’s perfection and goodness guarantees the reality of the world around me

the certainty of our existence is the starting point from which he can build the proof that could prove God’s existence

3 types of ideas

Adventitious ideas: ideas that are based on our experience with the world

Factitious ideas: ideas that are the product of our imagination

Innate ideas: ideas within us that don’t come from experience

The first certainty

in the past the discourse method said, i am thinking, therefore i exist

he said that, as soon as i consider that i exist, it is a direct intuition, not a conclusion

i think sounded like a premis, and therfore sounded like a conclusion

humans are always thinking, so we can infer that thinking is essential to our nature