Questions related to René Descartes (31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650)
Questions tagged [descartes]
224 questions
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21 answers
Could 'cogito ergo sum' possibly be false?
I've heard it postulated by some people that "we can't truly know anything". While that does seem to apply to the vast majority of things, I can't see how 'cogito ergo sum' can possibly be false.
No matter what I am, no matter in what way I'm…
Jez
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What is the modern solution to the mind-body problem for those who still hold the mind is separate?
René Descartes gave us the problem of how the mind interacts with the body in its modern formulation. Essentially, he asked how the incorporeal mind was able to influence the material body. He also pointed out that the mind was influenced by the…
Jon 'links in bio' Ericson
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Does the Simulation Argument differ in essence from the Evil Genius puzzle?
I recently read an article that suggested we might be able to determine if we are part of a computer simulation run by our descendants. The idea seemed far-fetched, but after looking around, I see that it has been argued for by at least one…
Jon 'links in bio' Ericson
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12
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4 answers
"Because if you doubt that you're doubting, you're still doubting" - What is the analogous mathematical/logical expression to this sentence?
In an answer here, the following was stated:
The essence of his [Descartes] argument is that you can doubt almost everything about the world, but you can't doubt that you're doubting. Because if you doubt that you're doubting, you're still…
draks ...
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How far can/should one press philosophical doubt?
Should we keep on questioning until nothing is left to question or is there a point on which we need to stand (which we often tend to do)? Descartes used 'I think' as this fixed point where the skepticism abates, there may be others. But what is a…
Ather Cheema
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Contemporary proponents of Cartesian dualism
I have to find examples of contemporary philosophers who accept Cartesian dualism. Who would be the most important proponent? While philosophers who reject physicalism (e.g. David Chalmers, Thomas Nagel) aren't uncommon, they usually don't find…
user223635
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Defenses of Descartes's rationality in regards to "cogito" fallacy?
What philosophers and in what writings, if any, have attempted to explain or defend Descartes's rationalism in respect to the "cogito ergo sum" fallacy pointed out by philosophers like Russell, and Wittgenstein?
Kyle
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Where to find Descartes’ violin player analogy?
I really tried finding the original passage where Descartes lays out the following argument:
Descartes himself anticipated an objection like this and argued that dependence does not strongly support identity. He illustrates by means of the…
viuser
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Roko's Basilisk as Descartes' evil genius?
I'll try to pose a shortened version of Roko's Basilisk below and then ask about how it relates to Descartes' evil genius:
The idea is that down the line may it be decades or centuries from
now, there will exist some AI that is as capable and…
dhillonv10
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Why did Descartes claim that animals have no souls if they have the pituitary?
As far as I understand it, Descartes claimed that the pituitary is the "antenna" through which the brain and the soul communicate, and he also claimed only human beings have souls. So, how did he explain away the fact that many non-human animals…
FlatAssembler
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7
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Descartes' Demon
This week I've been given to study from my highschool teacher Descartes' Demon argument but I have several doubts I fully understand it ,but let me put this in clear order :
1) I understand that this argument is about whether we can have any…
Jean Leroi
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How does Descartes determine that the idea of God has more objective reality than finite substance?
Descartes's third meditation, which sets out to prove the existence of God from previous considerations, confuses me greatly. Descartes appears to be trying to make an argument that the source must have as much or exceeding reality as the effect.…
Cicero
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Has there been a Cartesian revolution in mathematics?
In his book "Méthodes modernes en géométrie", Jean Fresnel wrote:
il ne faut pas se faire d'illusions, Descartes résout des problème de géométrie,
non parce qu'il a de la méthode, mais parce qu'il a des idées
(Rough translation: "don't expect…
Thomas Klimpel
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How would Descartes respond to Wittgenstein's objection to radical doubt?
From what I understand, Descartes wrote refutations to criticisms made of his Meditations. I'm just interested in what he would say to Wittgenstein, who I think has the most compelling critique of radical doubt.
Wittgenstein wrote in On Certainty,…
Joseph
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How does a thought imply there is a thinker in "I think therefore I am"?
How does Descartes say a thought necessarily means there is a thinker?
In my opinion, "I think therefore I am" is egocentric because could really stem from an illusion of the thoughts belonging to an owner, and I don't really see why a thought…
Guillaume Derex
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