WELCOME TO WEEK 9

Please Remember to Sign the Roster!

Rene Descartes

1596- 1650

French philosopher, mathematician,and writer

For you math geeks out there, the Cartesian plane (aka the x,ycordinatesystem) is named after Descartes

”Father of Modern Philosophy”

So, I'm pretty proud of myself, I found this kick@$$ video (made, as all good videos are, by a guy in his basement)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHihkRwisbE

Unfortunately, he swears once or twice, so we’ll be back to this when Duffy leaves

Also, I’m kinda mad I didn’t find this video until after I did all this annoying research

Anything with the slightest doubt should be considered false

Is this possible? Do you agree?

Rejected ideas of Scholastic Aristotelian traditional philosophy in two ways

1)Separates mind and body, Rejects substantial form: best shown with an example, previously a stone was considered to move towards the earth in order to achieve its goal of being a stone since falling is a stone-like trait. Descartes argued a stone could not think and so this method of proving things was faulty, go figure

2)Denied that all knowledge comes from sensation and that everyone is born a clean slate, believed in ideas perceived by the mind alone

Can senses be deceived or at least mostly believed?

How can we be sure what exists?

Is everyone born a clean slate?

Famously, Descartes said “Cogito Ergo Sum” – I think therefore I exist (an idea later refuted by Nietzsche)

He asserted that thinking something simply proves the experience of perceiving, rather than the actual stimulus, exist

Thinking was the exception however because it can not be doubted, we must first think to doubt

How can you be sure YOU exist?

How are you sure everything and everyone around you is not merely a figment of your imagination?

Is the infinite loop of thinking and doubting logically sound?

Defined the human mind as “a thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is willing, is unwilling, and also imagines and has sense perceptions” (AT VII 28: CSM II 19)

Therefore, the mind is an immaterial thing

Do you agree with his definition of a human?

This lends its self to the idea of a soul; Do humans have a soul?

Oxford Dictionary Definition of Soul:noun

1the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. a person’s moral or emotional nature or sense of identity

2 [emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art or an artistic performance

3 The essence or embodiment of a specific quality

Descartes’ Moral Code

1. To obey the laws and customs of my country, holding constantly to the Catholic religion, and governing myself in all other matters according to the most moderate opinions accepted in practice by the most sensible people.

2. To be as firm and decisive in action as possible and to follow even the most doubtful opinions once they have been adopted.

3. Try to master myself rather than fortune, and change my desires rather than the order of the world.

4. Review the various professions and chose the best

So I don’t have any prepared questions, I just thought this was interesting

In his books Rene Descartes battles with trying to prove he is not dreaming

How do you know your aren't dreaming up your reality?

Prepare for a huge tangent into The Matrix and Inception