PHIL 1000H Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Deductive Reasoning, Thought Experiment, Firm Foundation

• School: Trent University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 1000H
• Professor: Mc Dermid

Document Summary

Lays out the line of argument in skeletal form that he is going to develop in the meditations. Interweaving his own story with his intellectual discoveries. Descartes: does(cid:374)"t thi(cid:374)k a(cid:374)(cid:455)thi(cid:374)g he"s lea(cid:396)(cid:374)ed a(cid:373)ou(cid:374)ts to k(cid:374)o(cid:449)ledge, puts episte(cid:373)olog(cid:455) fi(cid:396)st, a(cid:374)d (cid:373)etaph(cid:455)si(cid:272)s se(cid:272)o(cid:374)d (cid:894)plato a(cid:374)d a(cid:396)istotle did(cid:374)"t do that(cid:895, he"s a (cid:396)atio(cid:374)alist. A(cid:455)s (cid:396)easo(cid:374) is the fu(cid:374)da(cid:373)e(cid:374)tal sou(cid:396)(cid:272)e of hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) k(cid:374)o(cid:449)ledge: mathematics allows you to arrive at truth. Deductive reasoning: you should never put too much trust in things that have been asserted by custom. What hes going to do about it: outlines his procedure. It has to be absolutely certain, and doubtproof: raising the standards, certainty is the only thing we can build on. Many philosophers think this view is totally wrong. You see it (cid:862)as(cid:863) a du(cid:272)k, o(cid:396) (cid:862)as(cid:863) a (cid:396)a(cid:271)(cid:271)it. It"s a (cid:373)istake to t(cid:396)(cid:455) a(cid:374)d p(cid:396)o(cid:448)e that (cid:455)ou(cid:396) se(cid:374)ses a(cid:396)e (cid:396)elia(cid:271)le- thomas reid: cognitive faculty something that yields beliefs (ex. reason, perception, memory)