At the beginning of Meditation I, Descartes faces serious doubts about what he can know, but by the end of Meditation II, he believes he has discovered the foundation for indubitable and certain knowledge. What is this foundation, and how is it supposed to be immune to the three skeptical arguments he posed in Meditation I? In your paper, please treat each of the following:
1) Explain why Descartes is using skeptical arguments. How is his technique of radical doubt different from what we normally call doubt? Why is he posing such seemingly exaggerated and hard-to-believe scenarios? How can doubting like this help achieve certainty?
2) Reconstruct each of the three skeptical arguments from Meditation I. What are the premises or starting points, and how does Descartes use them to reach his conclusions? How far does each argument go in showing that some things are not certain? Note: to express each argument correctly, you must understand and explain what he means by terms like evil genius and .
3) Explain how the idea that we are calling the cogito is supposed to be a solution to the doubts he has posed. If so many things can be called into question, why cant he just doubt the cogito too? What important things does Descartes learn about himself, and how does he think he can build on his new foundation of certainty?
4) Finally, what is a weak spot where a reasonable person might have a problem accepting Descartes reasoning here? Remember that objecting to an argument is not the same as disagreeing with the conclusion: it has to do with the truth of the premises and the structure of the argument itself. Make sure the objection you provide is relevant to the skeptical arguments or to whether Descartes is successful in solving the problems he poses.
The paper is to be 1000-1400 words (about 3 pages) and in a Microsoft Word document, with Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced, one-inch margins on all sides, with the word count included on the first page.
How do I go about writing this paper?
Padding, heavy repetition, and irrelevant passages will only hurt you, since everything in the paper should help support an answer to the prompt. Each part of the assignment must be developed fully. Reconstructing the arguments will take more space to develop than the other sections will, but none of these sections can be adequately treated in just a sentence or two.
Write the paper in your own words, and do not copy Descartes arguments word for word. While brief quotations are acceptable, heavy use of quotations and long block quotations should be avoided. Anything you quote should be explained and interpreted in a helpful and relevant way (see padding above). Anything you quote should be placed within quotation marks and cited with a page number (either with parentheses at the end of the sentence or with a footnote). Do not use outside sources for this paper. Plagiarism or use of online materials will result in a failing grade.
Use only the book Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes. 3rd Edition. With a work cited page.
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