PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY

PHIL 232, TTh 9am-10am in AUD A Angell Hall
The University of Michigan
Fall 2004

Name__________________________

 

Reading Questions: Descartes’ Meditations IV-VI

Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

  1. By "Meditation IV" Descartes claims to know that God exists and is perfect. What then is puzzling about the fact that Descartes sometimes errs or is mistaken?

    2.  

     

     

     

  2. To what does Descartes attribute his ability to form mistaken beliefs?

    3.  

     

     

  3. At the end of "Meditation IV" Descartes claims to have found a criterion of truth. Under what conditions does he say he can be sure that his beliefs are true?

    4.  

     

     

     

  4. At the beginning of "Meditation VI" Descartes claims to know that physical objects at least can exist because certain aspects of their nature satisfy the conditions just specified in question 3. What sort of aspects of physical objects satisfy these conditions? (These aspects are mentioned at the start and end of "Meditation V".)

    5.  

     

     

     

  5. In "Meditation VI," why does Descartes claim he can be certain that physical objects do really exist?