FRESHMAN SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY: RELATIVISM
PHIL 150W, Sec. 01: TTh 9:30am-10:50am in Blair 142
PHIL 150W, Sec. 02: TTh 11am-12:20pm in Blair 142
The College of William and Mary
Spring 2003
Instructor: James Woodbridge
email address: jawoo2@wm.edu
Course Webpage: http://fsweb.wm.edu/jawoo2/wm/150w.htm
Office Hours: T 3:30pm-5pm, W 10:30am-12pm, and by appointment
Office: 126 Blair Hall
Office Phone: 221-2713
Dept. Phone: 221-2735
RESPONSE ESSAY 6
On pp. 51-52 in "Meditation Six" from Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes summarizes some of the main points he claims to have established thus far in his response to skepticism and then gives
an argument for the actual existence of corporeal things. Write a 2-page paper focusing on this argument (p. 52). Explain how Descartes reasons to the conclusion that corporeal things must exist, and what
he thinks we can know about them in addition to their mere existence (this points back to beginning and end of "Meditation Five").
Aim to do the following sorts of things:
- Explain Descartes' reasoning in your own words, indicating all of the claims he relies on to reach his conclusion.
- Evaluate the argument--Does it work? Consider how it appeals to conclusions Descartes has drawn earlier.
- Identify questions that can be raised about Descartes' argument here, given its appeal to his earlier conclusions.
- Assess Descartes' foundationalist response to skepticism. What are its weak points?
Keep your paper within the 2-page limit!
Your paper is due at the beginning of class, Tuesday, March 25th.