PHIL 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Adventitiousness, Ontological Argument
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
History of Modern Philosophy
1.26.18 Lecture Notes – Descartes, Third Meditation
MT:
- Seems like Descartes has the misconception that the representation content in our
minds must resemble whatever caused that representation
- So, my thought about this chair resembles the actual chair and was caused by the chair,
ut it’s euall oeiale that I see this hai ad the thought of gadfathe
comes about
- The existence of God in my mind does not have to be caused by God, it can be caused by
something that does’t esele God at all, so I thik he isepesets ho
Review:
- Goal in the second meditations is to show that we can know the mind better than the
body
- Wax example – the properties that change are the sensory properties
o But I do know this wax through this mental perception
o Property of extension to corporeal objects
- Gives the cogito argument
- Also says that he has a clear and distinct perception of his mind and thoughts
Third Meditation
- Aguet fo God’s eistee
- There are some terms that need defining
- Clear and distinct (clarity and distinctness)
o Criterion for certainty
▪ Pg 24, second paragraph
▪ General rule that is drawn from the certainty of the cogito argument:
whatever I perceive clearly and distinctly is true
o Reflections using pure intellect
o Could be a rational (pure intellect) and empirical distinction
o Restricting the clarity and distinctness to rational perception as opposed to the
senses
o Even God could be deceiving me about the clear and distinct though, which is
why we need to demonstrate the existence of God and a God that does not
deceive
o In Principles of Philosophy part 1, paragraph 45, he explains what he means by
clear and distinct
▪ Clea: Peset ad aessile to the attetie id
▪ Distit: lea ad shapl sepaated fo other perceptions and only
otais hat is lea
- Mode
o Modification of a substance
o Substance: something that can exist independently of other things
o A way of being for a substance
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Document Summary
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