Reading Prompts
August 31
- What does Descartes mean by the statement: "there is only
one truth of each thing."?
- Which of his four steps in Discourse 2 is most difficult?
- How does Descartes ultimately acquire certainty of anything?
- What is Descartes' ultimate goal?
- What causes us to change our minds? What causes us to realize that we are wrong?
- What would be Descartes' first axiom in the world of things knowable?
- Draw a picture of his conception of the whole of knowledge.
- Scan the Rules for the Direction of the Mind. Select one that you wish to discuss in class.
September 3
- Describe the steps that lead up to Descartes' "cogito." What
follows?
- What is required in order to be a sceptic? What are the
risks and benefits?
- What if there exists no "I"?
- How does Descartes know that there is something besides
Descartes? That there is a God?
September 7
- Is it possible to invent a new color?
- How are we to determine whether we are dreaming?
- What is the most important lesson for Descartes w/r/t to the
wax?
- What happens to our world if there is no human thought/thinking?
- What is objective reality? formal reality?
- Where does reality reside?
- What is the connection between objective reality and
cause/effect?
- What is the difference between essence and existence? between an idea and an object?
- Where does God reside?
- What is the essence of Descartes' proof of God's existence? How does he pull it off?
|
![](descartes.jpg)
This is worth your time:
Rules for the Direction of the Mind
Short Writing - Due Electronically by September 7
Write one page on either a) What is Real? or b)
What does it mean to be Cartesian?
Aim for creative thought.
September 10
-
Bring your own Cartesian questions.
-
Which is more important: avoiding error or finding truth?
-
How do we know that corporeal objects exist?
-
Why does Descartes treat this problem at the end?
-
Explain Descartes' conceptualization of sin.
-
In what way is imperfection a part of God's perfection?
-
What is the connection between the corporeal world and objective/formal reality?
|
|