intuition and deduction thesis Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is the Intuition and Deduction Thesis?
The view that we can gain knowledge through rational intuition and deduction alone, independently of sense experience.
What is rational intuition?
The immediate intellectual grasp of self-evident truths (e.g., understanding that ‘2 + 2 = 4’ is true).
What is deduction?
A logical process where conclusions are drawn from premises using valid reasoning; if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.
Which philosopher is most associated with the Intuition and Deduction Thesis?
René Descartes.
How does Descartes use intuition and deduction to establish knowledge?
He starts with indubitable intuitions (like ‘I think, therefore I am’) and deduces further truths from them.
What is Descartes’ cogito argument?
‘Cogito, ergo sum’ — ‘I think, therefore I am’; a self-evident truth grasped through intuition.
Why is the cogito an example of intuition?
It is known immediately and indubitably through thought alone, without reliance on the senses.
What is Descartes’ method of doubt?
A systematic process of doubting all beliefs that could possibly be false, to find certain knowledge.
What role does the method of doubt play in the Intuition and Deduction Thesis?
It clears away uncertain beliefs so that knowledge can be built on clear and distinct intuitions and valid deductions.
What is a clear and distinct perception (in Descartes’ view)?
A belief that is self-evident and impossible to doubt when it is fully attended to by the mind.
Why are clear and distinct ideas important in Descartes’ system?
They are the foundation of certain knowledge; anything clearly and distinctly perceived is true.
How does Descartes attempt to deduce the existence of God?
He argues from the idea of a perfect being (which could not originate in an imperfect mind) to the conclusion that God must exist.
What is the Trademark Argument?
Descartes’ argument that the idea of God must have been placed in us by God himself, as an effect must have at least as much reality as its cause.
How does Descartes justify the reliability of clear and distinct ideas?
He claims God, a perfect being, would not deceive us, so we can trust what we clearly and distinctly perceive.
What is the Cartesian Circle?
A criticism that Descartes uses clear and distinct ideas to prove God’s existence, and then uses God’s existence to validate clear and distinct ideas — a circular argument.
How does the Intuition and Deduction Thesis contrast with Empiricism?
Empiricists claim all knowledge comes from experience, while rationalists argue that reason alone can yield some knowledge.
How does Descartes use deduction in mathematics?
He deduces mathematical truths from self-evident axioms, arguing that such truths are a priori and certain.
What kind of truths does Descartes claim we can know through reason alone?
Truths of mathematics, logic, and metaphysical claims like the existence of the self and God.
How does the wax example support Descartes’ thesis?
Even though all sensory properties of wax change, we still recognize it as wax through reason — not the senses.
What is an example of knowledge derived through deduction in Descartes’ system?
From ‘I exist’ and ‘I have an idea of God,’ he deduces ‘God exists.’
Why is the Intuition and Deduction Thesis foundationalist?
It aims to build all knowledge from certain foundational truths, grasped by intuition and extended by deduction.
What are criticisms of the Intuition and Deduction Thesis?
It may be too reliant on subjective ‘intuition’, faces the Cartesian Circle issue, and cannot establish empirical knowledge.
How do empiricists respond to Descartes’ thesis?
They argue that so-called intuitions are actually learned through experience and that no knowledge is independent of sensory input.
How does Descartes differentiate between imagination and pure understanding?
Imagination depends on the body and is fallible; understanding (through reason) provides certainty.
