Descartes questions
Descartes questions (1-6)
30 raw points
one of the first 3
one of the last 3
1.Descartes is a rationalist.
Explain what a rationalist is.
Describe something from our reading of Descartes that is indicative of his rationalism.
CLASS
-Rationalist: we can obtain non-trivial through the intellect, we have some innate knowledge, and we have some innate concepts
-you think certain beliefs can be epistically justified through the intellect instead of the senses- some concepts are innate or
2.Descartes is a foundationalist.
What is foundationalism?
Explain why Descartes thinks the Cogito (i.e. "I think therefore I am") is a basic belief.
CLASS
- a belief is justified or known only if it is a basic belief or it can be validly informed from some set of basic beliefs
-a position about when any given belief- we are epistemically justified for holding this belief only if this belief is a basic belie
3.Descartes employs methodological skepticism.
Describe methodological skepticism.
Explain how it is supposed to help us discover basic beliefs.
-the use of doubt to establish a truth
-that which can not be doubted is taken to be certain
-the goal is to find an indubitable propositions to serve as the foundation of all knowledge
-the problem is that most trusted beliefs are justified through the s
4.Descartes seeks to cast doubt on all of his former beliefs.
Why does he want to do that?
Explain Descartes' first level of doubt?
Why doesn't this cast doubt on all his former beliefs?
Explain Descartes' second level of doubt.
Which beliefs does the sec
-he wants to find an indubitable proposition to serve as the foundations of all knowledge
-First level: we are aware our senses deceive us at times by forms of mistaken identity, illusions, problems of relativity
-it is imprudent to trust something that h
5.
Explain how an argument from elimination proceeds.
Now explain Descartes' Wax Experiment Argument.
What is it supposed to show about the intellect?
Argument of elimination
-list all plausible possibilites
-show why all those possibilities cannot obtain except for one
-consequently the leftover possibility must obtain
-Wax experiment: two waxes and one is solid and two is wax
-we know was via senses,
6.I gave an oversimplified version of Descartes' argument that (1) there exists material objects apart from the mind and (2) our ideas resemble these material in some respects.
Explain how that argument proceeds. When doing so, also explain why this is in
our natural reasoning to an external world
-our adventitious ideas do not depend upon our will
-they do not depend upon me
-the ideas are caused by something external to me
-nature teaches me to judge that the cause transmits it owns likeness
-C: the caus
Locke Questions
Locke questions (7-12)
30 raw points
one of the first three
one of the last three
7. Locke is an empiricist.
Explain what an empiricist is.
In doing so, explain what the concept of tabula rasa is supposed to communicate.
-Empiricist: our only source of non-trivial knowledge is through senses
-but not a denial of a priori knowledge
-someone who believes that the only way that you have interesting knowledge of the world is through sense perception
-interesting: we have it t
8.Locke is an indirect realist.
Explain what indirect realism is.
In doing so, be sure to explain what makes it a realist position.
What do we have direct cognitive access to on indirect realist positions?
-Indirect realist: via sensations our mind constructs a model of the world
-we only know the world through this mental model
-theory of perception/human cognition-it maintains that the way we know the world apart from the mind is that we have direct knowl
9.Locke distinguishes between three kinds of qualities: primary qualities, secondary qualities.
Explain what primary qualities are in their relation to objects.
Give an example of a qualities that Locke thinks is a primary quality.
Explain what secondary
-Primary qualities: correspond to necessary aspect of our ideas of bodies
-our inherent in external objects
-resemble our ideas of these qualities
-Ex: solidity, bulk, extension, figure, motion, number
-Secondary qualities: sensory qualities
-not actually
10. Locke provides several arguments for the claim that our ideas of secondary qualities do not resemble the objects that cause us to have these ideas of secondary qualities.
Provide the argument from separability.
What is the chief aim of this argument?
-external bodies exist
-we perceive externla bodies, but they are not united with our mind
-they must cause ideas of secondary qualities in us
-God can assign whatever effects he wants to any cause he likes
-C: it is possible for our secondary ideas to be
11.Locke provides several arguments for the claim that our ideas of primary qualities do resemble the objects that cause us to have these ideas of secondary qualities.
Provide the argument from inseparability.
What is the chief aim of this argument?
Provi
Arg from inseparability
-we have complex ideas of objects
-these complex ideas resolve into simpler ones (solidity, red, sweet)
-there are a set of simple ideas that always accompanies our complex ideas of objects (Solidity, extension, bulk)
-objects in f
12.Locke offers four arguments for the claim that there exist objects external to the mind.
Provide and explain two of them.
DONE
1. People with defective sense organs never have the corresponding kinds of ideas
-thus it is through those organs we receive the ideas
-but the organs themselves do not produce them
-therefor an external object must cause the organs to do so
3. We can re
Hume questions
Hume questions (13-15)
40 raw points
one of the first two
and the last one
13. Hume is an empiricist.
Explain what an empiricist is.
What is Hume's copy principle?
Why is it indicative of Hume's empiricism?
-Empiricist: our only source of non-trivial knowledge is through senses
Copy principle
-If you have an idea then it is derived from an impressions
-so no innate ideas
-ex: golden mountian, virtuous horse
-it focuses on the knowing information through impr
14.
What is Hume's empiricist criterion of meaning?
Explain its significance with respect to Hume's analysis of the term 'cause'.
Criterion for meaning
-a terms meaning is grounded in an idea
-hence if a term does not ground out in an idea, it is meaningless
humes significance cause= constant conjunction of kinds of event custom of the mind
-the copy principle
-we have no impression
15. The problem of induction applies to a posteriori justification that extends beyond what we're immediately experiencing at the moment.
Explain the problem of induction. A full explanation will
(1) explain how we attempt to justify these kinds of a post
Problem of induction
-hume wants to examine the nature of our justification for matters of fact that are not justified by our immediate impressions-ex predictions that leave some room for error
-the ordinary notion of cause and effect involves a nexessary
15 in class
framing the question: hume is not worried about our immidate questions of things- it does not seem wrong that i do not have folder in my hand
-we may claims about the wrold that we are not immediately preceiving
-example: an unsupported rock will fall--yo