PHL100Y1 Lecture 34: 34 Descartes 1
Document Summary
Cartesian epistemology etc: basic divide in epistemology. Rationalism: knowledge is drawn from rational thought. Empiricism: knowledge is drawn from experience: skepticism about knowledge; copernicus overthrown ptolemy, etc. Academic skepticism: nothing can be known. not even this. We don"t know anything, we just believe it: descartes goal is to refute skepticism; prove that there is knowledge. Those beliefs built on even more prior beliefs, etc. Our basic beliefs are a very small foundation of beliefs. Descartes" (very high) standard: if doubt in a belief is remotely possible, i reject that belief as if it is false. Descartes looks for the rock-solid basic beliefs; if there is no rock-solid foundation, then skepticism is correct; if there is one, then it is not: sensory experience: central method of gathering knowledge. !1: hell yeah, our senses are wrong all the time optical illusions, etc. Ideal settings don"t have to be doubted, apparently: what if i were crazy!
