Decartes, Plato and Leibniz believe that you have a form of innate understanding
Inductive reasoning
if the premises are all true, the conclusion is likely to be true
deductive reasoning
if the premises are all true, the conlusion must be true
Inductive reasoning moves from specific cases and applies them to general ones
deductive reasoning is a type of reasoning that starts with a general statement and then works backwards to a specific conclusion. This ensures certainty within argument.
deduction and intuition are specific, "God-given", faculties of the mind. They enable one to discover certain truths
Decartes reasons inductively in order to establish certainty
intueri
to consider
intuition
the immediate and direct apprehension of truth
intuition is an intellectual capacity
cogito
"i think therefore i am"
intuition is an immediate insight into truth
"intuition is the indubitable conception of a pure and attentive mind, which arises from the light of reason alone"
one knows intuitively that black is not white
deduction is the ability to follow on from the intuitively acquired truth
deduction is the way in which a series of intuitions are connected to lead to self-evident truth
Decartes aims to eliminate doubt from the concept of knowledge
Decartes believes that God and the faculties of the mind are innate
Outline the induction and deduction thesis
Theory of how knowledge is gained
Uses reason
How?
Decartes aims to eliminate doubt so he tries to prove truth with certainty. As a result, his arguments are structured deductively, allowing his conclusions(provided the premises are true) to be certain
To arrive at certainty, one must rely on reason rather than sensory experiences
Empiriscists differ with Decartes on the notion that synthetic truths can be certain, as certainty cannot come as a result of sensory experience
Decartes believes that God and the faculties of the mind are innate
truths can be derived from intuition and deduction
Intuition and knowledge are distinct
Indubitable
without doubt
Intuition is the direct apprehension of truth; grasping what is true. Deduction is the ability to follow on from the intuitively acquired truth and connect truths together
infallaiblism
must be unmistaken of ones true belief - eliminates doubt through certainty
infalliablism leads to scepticism
Truths that Decartes knows
I exist
God exists
The external world exists
Decartes supports infallablism
intuition and deduction is a type of knowing that is infallible
Decartes experiences 3 waves of doubt
" I must avoid believing things which are not certain and indubitable" - Rene Decartes
1st wave of Doubt
The senses can decieve us( therefore we should not entirely rely on them as a source of truth and certainty) - questions things hard to sense
2nd Wave of Doubt
This could all be a dream - there is no way of telling if one is awake - questioning reality
3rd Wave of Doubt
There could be a decieving demon that spends all his time decieveing me - could implant thoughts into his head - questions undoubtable thoughts
Clear and distinct ideas
Indubitable
Certain self justifying
If ideas are distinct they cannot be confused with others
Clear and distinct ideas are known a priori through reason alone