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WorksheetsDescartes Med 1 and Med 2
Total questions: 23
Worksheet time: 25mins
Descartes is known as the father of
Modern Science
Modern Maths
Modern Philosophy
Modern Knowledge
Descartes was a
Empiricist
Rationalist
Sceptic
Materialist
Descartes refused to accept any knowledge claim as true, unless it was certain to the point of being beyond doubt. This is also known as:
Descartes Method of Doubt
Descartes Meditations
Descartes Cogito
What are the aims of Descartes method of doubt? (tick all that apply)
To establish a foundation for knowledge that couldn't be doubted
To defeat the sceptics
To prove the existence of God (Med 3)
To avoid believing things that are not completely certain
Descartes begins Meditations by presenting four arguments that support scepticism in Med 1. These are sometimes referred to as:
certain arguments
sceptical arguments
the tides of doubt
arguments from illusion
In what order are Descartes sceptical arguments presented in Meditation 1?
1) Dreaming 2) Illusion 3) Evil Demon 4) Deceiving God
1) Evil Demon 2) Dreaming 3) Deceiving God 4) Illusion
1) Illusion 2) Dreaming 3) Deceiving God 4) Evil Demon
1) Illusion 2) Dreaming 3) Evil Demon 4) Deceiving God
Descartes says that many of his beliefs are based on his sense experience and he has, in the past been deceived by his senses. For example, seeing a stick bent in water. This is also known as the:
Argument from dreaming
Argument from illusion
The evil demon argument
Descartes doubts whether he knows if he is awake. He begins by explaining that he has no way of knowing if he is really seated on front of the fireplace or if he is really lying asleep in bed. This is known as the:
Argument from illusion
Dreaming argument
Evil Demon argument
What is meant by 'a priori' knowledge?
knowledge gained from the senses
knowledge gained from reason alone
knowledge gained from both the senses and reason
knowledge that we cannot know for certain
What is meant by 'a posteriori' knowledge?
Knowledge gained from the senses/experience
Knowledge gained from reason alone
Knowledge that we cannot know for certain
Knowledge that we gain from both reason and the senses
What type of knowledge survives the argument from illusion?
All knowledge from the senses ( a posteriori knowledge)
Some knowledge from the senses (a posteriori knowledge)
All knowledge from reason ( a priori knowledge)
Which of the following survives the argument from dreaming? (tick all that apply)
A posteriori knowledge (form the senses)
Nothing, at the end of the dreaming argument he knows nothing
Knowledge of maths and geometry (a priori knowledge)
What is meant by local scepticism?
Doubt about a particular branch of knowledge
Doubt about the local area you live in
Doubt about whether there is a world existing outside our own mind - if we can know anything for certain
What is meant by global scepticism?
Doubt about a particular branch of knowledge
Doubt about all the countries that exist
Doubt about whether or not a world exists outside our own mind - we cannot know anything for certain
Which of the following three arguments leads to global scepticism? (when Descartes thinks he cannot know anything for certain about the external world)
Argument from illusion
Argument from dreaming
Evil demon argument
'Cogito Ergo Sum' is Latin for:
The Method of Doubt
The Whirlpool of Doubt
I Think Therefore I am
The Three Waves
What is significant about the Cogito?
He realises that even if there is an evil demon deceiving him, he is thinking about existing , therefore he exists.
It makes him realises that he will never know anything for certain
He realises that he will never overcome the evil demon argument
What analogy does Descartes use to explain his method of doubt
Wax analogy
Basket of apples analogy
Watchmakers analogy
Evil demon analogy
What analogy does Descartes use to show the superiority of rationalism (knowledge through reason)?
The basket of apples analogy
The watchmakers analogy
The wax analogy
The evil demon analogy
What is meant by scepticism?
That we know everything for certain
That we cannot know anything for certain
That we gain knowledge through sense experience
That we gain knowledge through reason
Why does Descartes think The Cogito is a truth he knows for certain? (tick all that apply)
It's contradictory to say 'I don't exist'
He believes it to be true so that's enough
It would be logically impossible to be false
Its necessarily true every time he thinks it
What are some weaknesses of The Cogito?
The Cogito shows there is a thinker, but not a thought
The Cogito shows there is a thought, but not necessarily a thinker
Descartes doesn't doubt his reasoning here, even though an evil demon could be tricking him about logic. He;s not being consistent with his Method of Doubt
There is an unjustified jump form 'I think' to 'I am' there needs to be a hidden premise 'Thinking things exist' inserted to allow for the conclusion
What does the Evil Demon argument allow Descartes to do?
Shows us that even mathematical truths can be open to doubt ('a priori' reasoning is doubted)
He uses the evil demon argument to suggest that the external world is open to doubt - we cannot know for certain it exists
Allows him to say that only knowledge form the senses can be doubted
It allows him to doubt that he even has a body
