Nat 5 Descartes 2022

What does Descartes realise about many of his strongly held beliefs at the beginning of the Meditations?

• They are based on his intuition.

• They are not based on anything.

• They are based on reason.

• They are based on experience.

Answer explanation

This leads Descartes to doubt this kind of knowledge in his senses argument (1st wave).

Q. 

 

What examples does Descartes give to support his senses argument?

• Things that sound different to how we imagined.

• Things that appear to be a different colour.

• Things that are far away appear very small.

• Events that turn out to be different than imagined

Q. 

P1: My senses have deceived me in the past.

P2: It is wise not to have complete trust in something that has previously deceived you.

C: ......................................................................................................

Q. 

Descartes' senses argument targets...

. 

Descartes talks of sitting by the fire holding a piece of paper. What is the point of this? (click two correct answers)

• He can't be sure that God isn't deceiving him into thinking he's sitting by the fire.

• The senses initially seem to be reliable for things that are very obvious.

• The senses are reliable in cases like this.

• He sometimes thinks he is sitting by the fire when in fact he is in bed, dreaming that he is awake.

. 

If we can haves experiences in dreams of seeing things that are not in reality, then...

what type of knowledge survives the dreaming argument?

• a priori

• a posteriori

In which argument does Descartes begin to doubt a priori knowledge?

. 

Why does Descartes introduce the evil demon?

(Select all that apply)

• As a way to help him treat seriously the idea that the external world might be a complete illusion.

• As a way to help himself doubt all his former beliefs.

• As a way to remind him to doubt a posteriori knowledge.

• Because he believes that knowledge is unattainable.

How does Descartes arrive at the cogito at the beginning of the second Meditation?

Answer explanation

At the start of Meditation 2, Descartes, who now knows nothing for sure, considers that he may not even exist. However an evil demon can't fool nothing into believing it exists. And if he is doubting that he exists, then he is thinking (because doubting is a form of thinking). Descartes realised that because he is thinking, he must exist. I think, therefore I am