arguing with descartes meditation 1 foundationalism no justification scientific knowledge...
TRANSCRIPT
Arguing with Descartes
Meditation 1Foundationalism•No justification•Scientific knowledge
Methodology•‘Basket of apples’ incoherent
Empiricism•Counterfeit coins•Dreaming argument - simples
- evil demon- truth
Meditation 2Cogito• Still requires prior knowledge (Kant)• Misconception of ‘knowledge’
(Wittgenstein)• Suppressed premise in syllogism – but no• Unjustified claim to ‘I’ (self)
Substance• ‘properties’ never separated• ‘substance-less’ properties
Meditation 2
Clarity of mind• Doubtfulness of conscious thoughts• Are consciousness and thoughts separate
(Hobbes)?
Wax Argument• Objects are never ‘pure extension’ (Quinton)• Mind not defined/explained positively (Gassendi)
- mind unique
- mind not mechanistic
Meditation 3
Clear and distinct perception
• Criterion not self-evident
• Self-evidence wholly subjective
• Directness not uniform or unchanging
• Criterion too narrow
Meditation 3
Trademark argument• No knowledge of ex nihilo• No knowledge of hierarchy of intentional
reality• Knowledge of perfection inadequate• Implausibility of causation of ‘idea’/’real’
Circular argument• Hence flawed - memory
Meditation 4
Making judgements
• Problems of clear and distinct perception
• Impossibility of Descartes’ method
• Problem with knowledge of consciousness
Meditation 5
Essence of material things
• A priori knowledge (not from senses, not dependent on his will)
Ontological argument
• Defining existence as a property
- God is special
• Illegitimacy of comparison (‘idea’/’real’)
Meditation 6Reliability of senses• Necessity of God
Dualism• Exceptions to Leibniz’ law (med 2)• Brain-mind interdependence (Gassendi)
- property dualism• Involvement of clear and distinct perception• Extension not essentially not a part of mind (Arnauld)
- cannot be knowable• Uncertainty of particularity (one-to-one plus
permanence)• Interaction of mind/body
- oneness of these