Philosophy

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This discussion will help us identify the differences between rationalism and empiricism.

Task

· What experiences have you had that make your thoughts seem more real than your senses, or your senses seem more real than your thoughts?

· If Descartes is right, does the idea of something exist primarily in our mind, or does it also have to exist in the world for us to have the idea in the first place?

· If Locke's sensory knowledge is right, does that mean in fact that objects can "make us" think of certain things? When I look at a table, do I unavoidably think, Oh, it's flat on top, it's brown, it's got four legs; without having any choice in the matter?

· Does that make it seem like objects have too much control of our minds? (Keep in mind one of Locke's major distinctions, that "primary" qualities must be "in the object" itself because they are necessary for the object to be what it is; but that "secondary" qualities are only in us, our mind, because of our preferences. An example of this would be a table that is brown in color. The table's flatness is primary quality because it must be flat to be a table, but the table's color brown is secondary because it could be any color and we perceive color in certain ways because of our senses... even if we are color blind, the table is still a table because of its shape.)

Expectations and Criteria for Success

Your discussion post should answer each question above in at least two to three sentences and provide arguments and evidence to support your responses. Successful posts will answer each question with specific examples and details from the assigned sources.

Once you have completed your initial post, read and respond to the posts of at least two of your peers. Reference course materials and contribute new points of discussion.

Your initial post and your peer responses should be substantive (well thought out and logically organized) and original (do not copy and paste). Consider using the following format in your responses to stimulate more discussion:

· Student X says Y. "I have some questions or comments about Y" – insert your question or comment.

· Or: "Another point to consider is Z."

DubitabilityDescartessSignificanceToday-IntroductiontoPhilosophySection1GGFall2023CO.pdf

10/3/23, 5:46 PM Elements Page

https://go.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/2807452/viewContent/56407199/View 1/2

The terms "dubitable" and "indubitable" are rarely used by anyone except when teaching Descartes. But they are not just

introduced because they are big and impressive - the notion of 'dubitability' is crucial for Descartes's project.

To say that something is dubitable is to say that it can be doubted, and to say that it is indubitable is to say that it cannot be

doubted.

In the context of an investigation of philosophical skepticism, to say that a belief is dubitable is not the same as saying that

we should seriously doubt that it is true or even that a sane person could maintain the doubt in her everyday affairs. It is

not the same as saying that a claim is "doubtful," meaning that it may really be false. To say that a proposition is dubitable

is to say that a certain sort of story can be constructed. Perhaps he means something like this:

Dubitability is a logical property of a proposition, not a psychological property of the person doubting. Still, the dubitability

of a proposition may vary with the reasons a person has for belief, so perhaps a proposition may be dubitable for one person

but not for another who has a different kind of reasons for believing it.

Descartes's Signi�cance Today

Descartes' signi�cance today includes the following:

Anticipated current issues in �elds like Arti�cial Intelligence

Encourages us to ask questions on how the mind and the body relate to each other

Inspired modern-day thought experiments, writings, and �lms

Acknowledged the issues of emotion and feeling well before modern psychology

Addressed issues of religion and the existence of God without engaging in violence, instead he used reason and

argument

What Do You Think and Why?

Is dubitability simply a logical property of propositions, taken by themselves, or is something more involved? Can we determine whether a proposition is dubitable for someone without knowing what evidence is available to him/her? Does this imply that dubitability is a psychological property of agents? If not, why not?

For more study and to test your knowledge, please take the Unit 3 Self Assessment - Descartes (not graded).

Listen

10/3/23, 5:46 PM Elements Page

https://go.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/2807452/viewContent/56407199/View 2/2

GoldmanandReadingAssignment__EpistemicRelativismandReasonableDisagreement_-IntroductiontoPhilosophySection1GGFall2023CO.pdf
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HumeSkepticismandReadingAssignment_AnEnquiryConcerningHumanUnderstanding-IntroductiontoPhilosophySection1GGFall2023CO.pdf
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Rationalism_FoundationalismandReadingAssignment_MeditationsIIIandIII-IntroductiontoPhilosophySection1GGFall2023CO.pdf
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JohnLockeEmpiricismandReadingAssignment_AnEssayConcerningHumanUnderstanding-IntroductiontoPhilosophySection1GGFall2023CO.pdf
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