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Criticism of Descartes’ Accounts of Our Cognitive Relation to the “External World”
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Paper #1 Prompt: What standard must a claim meet before Descartes’ is willing to affirm it? Does Descartes believe that his own standard for accepting propositions is satisfied by his own requirement for affirmation? Why does Descartes claim that his standard of affirmation is warranted only if God exists? Do either of Descartes’ arguments for the existence of God meet Descartes’ own standards for affirming his claim that God exists
Paper #1 ALT Prompt: According to Descartes, how is the human mind or soul related to the body? How are human beings different from other animals? Why is it that Descartes is troubled by the possibility of human error, even supposing that God exists and validates our standards for affirming various claims? How does Descartes account for errors in our beliefs about the “external” world (the world of which we are conscious, but which is not a part of our consciousness)? State and evaluate the criticism of Descartes’ accounts of our cognitive relation to the “external world” that were developed by Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia and by Margaret Cavendish.
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September 26, 2023
DecartesVieews on the Human Error, Mind-Body Relationship and Critiques by Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Cavendish
Introduction
Often hailed as the father of modern philosophy, Rene Descartes has made a significant contribution to the fields of philosophy of the mind, especially in metaphysics and epistemology. Born in the year 1596 in France, Descartes would go on to become one of the well-known philosophers and would continue to reverberate through the doors of philosophical discussion throughout history. His work has become the shifting point of an understanding inn how the body and the mind work, as he changed an era made by methodological thinking, rationalism, and the quest for certain knowledge. One of the most well-known pronouncements that Descartes made is “I think, therefore I am” (Cornito, ergo sum) and it encapsulates his journey to to a world of certainty.
In this exploration of Descartes' life and philosophy, we embark on a journey through the intellectual landscape of the 17th century—a landscape transformed by his ideas. Epistemology is the investigation of what is justified or proven belief to an opinion and metaphysics deals with the reason something exists in the first place. With that in mind, this essay will explore Rene Descartes’ perspectives on the mind-body relationship, the problem of human error, human distinctiveness, and also some of his errors in his accounts for the external world. This paper will also include a discussion of Descartes's views by Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia and Margaret Cavendish.
Body
Descartes promotes that mind and body are completely different from each other and should be viewed as having a dualistic perspective from each of them (Britannica, n.d.). He argues that the human body is material and extended which means that it is greatly connected to the real world, while the human mind is immaterial and thinking which means that it cannot be tied to any mass that can be interacted physically. According to Descartes the only means of communication that the human mind and the human body is through a gland called the pineal gland located at the bottom part of the brain, this gland allows communication between the immaterial human mind and the material human body (Dunne, 2022).
What sets us apart from other organisms that also have a mind is our capabilities for reasoning and communicating through language. He argued that although animals has a mind of their own they are based solely on their instinct which is completely different from human where actions are followed by rationalities and expression through language. Instinct is very abstract as it happens unconsciously where the body acts automatically as it is embedded in nature. Humans have evolved so much compared to other animals because of our continuous curiosity and neverending wants in life. This kind of difference in the human ability to use reasoning to animals acting solely on instinct is what Descartes consider the main difference between human and animal.
Philosophical questions like this encourage people to think critically about a question and to analyze rigorously to find an answer. They prompt humans to question current events, evaluate arguments, and also to consider alternative perspectives of the problem. This process helps society to make an informed decision that is greatly inclined to the philosophical standard. Descartes, proposal address the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. These help the current field of philosophy to have a theory to work on. Descartes' acceptance of human fallibility was greatly aided by his method of radical doubt, which was a cornerstone of his philosophical outlook. Using this approach, Descartes began a methodical process of doubt, putting all of his assumptions and convictions in jeopardy. He aimed to build a firm and impregnable foundation for knowledge, removing any assumptions or presuppositions that were not absolutely definite. Descartes' uncertainty was largely based on his distrust of the veracity of sensory impressions. He made the case that our senses could be deceptive. For instance, sensory experiences that look real but ultimately distort reality may be presented through optical illusions, mirages, ...
Course and Section
Professor’s Name
September 26, 2023
DecartesVieews on the Human Error, Mind-Body Relationship and Critiques by Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Cavendish
Introduction
Often hailed as the father of modern philosophy, Rene Descartes has made a significant contribution to the fields of philosophy of the mind, especially in metaphysics and epistemology. Born in the year 1596 in France, Descartes would go on to become one of the well-known philosophers and would continue to reverberate through the doors of philosophical discussion throughout history. His work has become the shifting point of an understanding inn how the body and the mind work, as he changed an era made by methodological thinking, rationalism, and the quest for certain knowledge. One of the most well-known pronouncements that Descartes made is “I think, therefore I am” (Cornito, ergo sum) and it encapsulates his journey to to a world of certainty.
In this exploration of Descartes' life and philosophy, we embark on a journey through the intellectual landscape of the 17th century—a landscape transformed by his ideas. Epistemology is the investigation of what is justified or proven belief to an opinion and metaphysics deals with the reason something exists in the first place. With that in mind, this essay will explore Rene Descartes’ perspectives on the mind-body relationship, the problem of human error, human distinctiveness, and also some of his errors in his accounts for the external world. This paper will also include a discussion of Descartes's views by Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia and Margaret Cavendish.
Body
Descartes promotes that mind and body are completely different from each other and should be viewed as having a dualistic perspective from each of them (Britannica, n.d.). He argues that the human body is material and extended which means that it is greatly connected to the real world, while the human mind is immaterial and thinking which means that it cannot be tied to any mass that can be interacted physically. According to Descartes the only means of communication that the human mind and the human body is through a gland called the pineal gland located at the bottom part of the brain, this gland allows communication between the immaterial human mind and the material human body (Dunne, 2022).
What sets us apart from other organisms that also have a mind is our capabilities for reasoning and communicating through language. He argued that although animals has a mind of their own they are based solely on their instinct which is completely different from human where actions are followed by rationalities and expression through language. Instinct is very abstract as it happens unconsciously where the body acts automatically as it is embedded in nature. Humans have evolved so much compared to other animals because of our continuous curiosity and neverending wants in life. This kind of difference in the human ability to use reasoning to animals acting solely on instinct is what Descartes consider the main difference between human and animal.
Philosophical questions like this encourage people to think critically about a question and to analyze rigorously to find an answer. They prompt humans to question current events, evaluate arguments, and also to consider alternative perspectives of the problem. This process helps society to make an informed decision that is greatly inclined to the philosophical standard. Descartes, proposal address the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. These help the current field of philosophy to have a theory to work on. Descartes' acceptance of human fallibility was greatly aided by his method of radical doubt, which was a cornerstone of his philosophical outlook. Using this approach, Descartes began a methodical process of doubt, putting all of his assumptions and convictions in jeopardy. He aimed to build a firm and impregnable foundation for knowledge, removing any assumptions or presuppositions that were not absolutely definite. Descartes' uncertainty was largely based on his distrust of the veracity of sensory impressions. He made the case that our senses could be deceptive. For instance, sensory experiences that look real but ultimately distort reality may be presented through optical illusions, mirages, ...
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