Descartes' Rebuilding Project and Locke-ing in Knowledge? Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is Descartes’ goal after introducing radical doubt?
Descartes is not a skeptic; his goal is to rebuild knowledge on a firm foundation by finding one certain belief that can withstand all doubt.
What metaphor does Descartes use to describe his project?
He refers to Archimedes’ idea that with one fixed point and a lever, one could move the world. Descartes wants one indubitable belief to rebuild all knowledge.
What is the first certainty Descartes identifies in the Second Meditation?
Even if an evil demon is deceiving him, the very act of being deceived proves he exists. Thus, ‘I think, therefore I am’ (Cogito ergo sum) is certain.
Why does Descartes say ‘I am, I exist’ is necessarily true?
Because the very act of thinking or doubting requires a thinker. Even if all else is false, the existence of a thinking subject is undeniable when thought occurs.
What is the nature of the ‘I’ that Descartes concludes exists?
It is a thinking thing—something that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, imagines, and senses.
Why does Descartes prioritize the mind over the body?
Because thoughts cannot be doubted in the same way sensory experiences and bodily perceptions can be. The mind provides clearer and more certain knowledge.
What does Descartes’ wax example aim to demonstrate?
That sensory qualities change (shape, smell, color), but the wax remains the same. Thus, our knowledge of the wax’s identity comes from reason, not the senses.
How does Descartes reinterpret everyday perceptions like seeing people in a square?
He suggests that we do not truly perceive the people themselves but judge they are people based on clothes and movements—our mind, not our senses, leads us to that conclusion.
What is Descartes’ claim about how we perceive bodies?
He argues we perceive bodies not through the senses or imagination, but through the intellect—by understanding them through mental judgments.
What broader philosophical claim is Descartes moving toward?
That knowledge is grounded in rational intuition and reasoning, not sense perception, and that the mind is better known than the external world.
How does Locke respond to Descartes’ standard of certainty?
Locke argues that we should not commit to certainty as the defining criterion of knowledge. Knowledge doesn’t require absolute certainty to be valid.
Why does Locke reject Descartes’ method of demolishing all prior knowledge?
Locke believes that Descartes sets an unnecessarily high bar for knowledge. Instead of total demolition, Locke favors a method of clearing up misconceptions to make progress.
What is Locke’s metaphor for his philosophical role?
He describes himself as an ‘under-labourer’ clearing away the rubbish in the path of knowledge so others can build better systems of thought.
What is the foundation of knowledge for Locke?
The senses are the source of all knowledge. Reason is important but must operate on sensory input—observation and experience are primary.
How does Locke’s empiricism contrast with Descartes’ rationalism?
Descartes claims knowledge arises from reason alone, while Locke insists it begins with sensory experience which provides material for reasoning.
What is the causal theory of perception according to Locke?
Perception involves three components: an object, a perceiver, and a mental idea. For genuine perception, the object must cause the idea in the mind.
Why does Locke think perception is not a simple process?
Because perception involves internal mental states and judgments, not just direct sensory input. Dreams, illusions, and hallucinations show perception can be misleading.
What issue does Locke raise with Descartes’ idea that perception is just judgment?
Locke questions whether it’s fair to say we never truly see with our senses, suggesting that Descartes may overlook the role and reliability of sensory experience.
Why does Locke caution against assuming direct realism in perception?
Because we often describe our experiences of things rather than the things themselves. He urges us to recognize that our access to the world is mediated by mental representations.
What takeaway does Locke want us to reflect on about perception and the world?
Whether we can ever know the world as it really is, or whether we only ever know our experiences of it—and if the latter, whether that undermines knowledge.
What challenge does Descartes face in moving from ‘I think’ to knowledge of the world?
The leap from the certainty of the thinking self to the external world is difficult. He must justify how we can trust reason and perception after such deep doubt.
What is Descartes’ argument for the existence of God in the later Meditations?
He claims that he has a clear and distinct idea of an infinite, perfect being, and such an idea could only come from God Himself, not from a finite mind.
Why is God’s existence important in Descartes’ project?
Because a good and perfect God would not deceive us, which allows Descartes to regain trust in his clear and distinct perceptions as reliable sources of truth.
What responsibility does Descartes assign to the thinker in the process of knowing?
He argues that since God made us rational and free, we must use reason carefully and not assent to beliefs without sufficient evidence.
