PHIL 100W Lecture Notes - The Smell, Sentience, Empiricism

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 100W
• Professor: Dc Mc

Document Summary

At the end of meditation 2, descartes is certain only that there is at least one thinking thing, which is himself. By thinking he means conscious mental goings-on. He"s not sure whether there are any other thinking things. Because he has no access to their minds. Philosophical zombie: look completely normal; no conscious activity. Sentience: capacity to have conscious experiences and have feelings or sensations. Descartes, at the end of meditation 2, is also not sure about the existence of any material things, even his own body. Mind and body (matter) are distinct for descartes they have different essences. Reason lead him to understand that it"s still the same piece of wax. Changes in how the wax appears to us do not make us think it"s not still wax. The appearance of the wax is not essential to it. Thought that reason is the primary source of knowledge. Contrasted with empiricism: sensory experience is the primary source of knowledge.