REASON- Proof Of The External World

Question 1

What does step 1 a and b show and summarise it

Answer 1

Sensations come from outside me
1a)
P1) the will is part of my existence
P2) sensation is not subject to my will
C) sensations come from outside me

1b)
P1) my nature or essence is unextended
P2) sensations are ideas of extended things.
C) sensations come from outside me

Question 2

What does step two of Descartes proof of the external world show and summarise it

Answer 2

Sensations originate from matter
P1) there are two possible sources for the origin of sensations: god or matter
P2) I have a strong natural inclination to believe they com from matter, and I have no faculty by which to correct this belief
IC) so if their origin were in god, god would be a deceiver
P3) god is not a deceiver
C) sensations originate in matter

Question 3

What is the empiricist response to step 1 a

Answer 3

Sensations could come from a part of me which I am not conscious. Eg dreams are not subject to our will any more than our sensations are, and they come from within us

Question 4

Empiricist response to step 1 b

Answer 4

Not obvious that an unextended thing could never produce the idea of an extended thing. Descartes is relying on the casual principle- which doesn’t readily apply to ideas. We are able to perceive representations of extended things although our minds are unextended according to Descartes.

Question 5

Empiricist response to step two

Answer 5

Is everyone inclined to believe that sensations come from matter?
God could feed the idea of material things directly into our minds as is the view of Berkeley.
Maybe a more efficient way of arranging things as it provides the same affect without having to create and maintain a material world.
Descartes rejects this as it would be a deception on a gods part to make us think that there is a material world.

Question 6

What is the empiricist response that god might not exist

Answer 6

Depends on Descartes proof of god which empiricists like Hume have attacked. If these do not succeed then there is no guarantee that we are not being radically deceived and therefore the world may be very different from the way it appears

Question 7

Empiricist response of other ways of establishing existence of world

Answer 7

Empiricists like Locke and Russell have their own explanation for the existence of the external world