PHL2110Res Cogitans: Descartes On Knowledge and Mind
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Handbook entry- a brief description of the subject can be found in the handbook entry. The handbook also provides information about the unit leader, the semester and mode in which the unit is available, the contact hours and the assessment requirements.
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MUSO site - there is a WebCT site for this unit where assessment tasks, lecture notes and other unit resources will be posted. Once enrolled, students taking this unit are advised to check the WebCT site regularly.
Subject description:
The Meditations of Descartes set the agenda for modern philosophical debates in Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, and Metaphysics. Descartes was a mathematician, scientist and philosopher working at the time of the Scientific Revolution, The Meditations were published in 1641.Just a few years earlier Descartes was shocked by the condemnation of Galileo for defending the Copernican Revolution. His response was to undertake a comprehensive review of commonsense and traditional views, and the result was the first modern philosophical system. Among the topics Descartes discussed were scepticism about commonsense and scientific beliefs, certainty, the existence of God, the nature of belief and judgment, the existence of the material objects and their relation to the mind, and the nature of the self. In all these areas his views have been influential and of continuing relevance to on-going philosophical discussion. The subject will examine the entire Cartesian system, and follow some of its themes into contemporary philosophy.
Why study Descartes?
The Meditations is the only work by a great philosopher where a student can study a complete work that presents a systematic philosophical position. Philosophy subjects usually adopt an eclectic approach, looking at the views of various philosophers on some set of problems. Reading the Meditations, however, lets the student see how a single thinker's views form an integrated and coherent system. The Meditations are an ideal vehicle for this purpose. The text is elegant, short and accessible; and Descartes challenges us to think through our views on the central issues in philosophy.
Why 'Res Cogitans'?
The Latin phrase means 'thinking thing'. Descartes puts thought at the centre of his system. He begins from the famous 'I think therefore I am' argument, and claims that the one essential thing about our nature is that we are thinking beings.