Class Responses and Instructor Comments

>From Wai Yan Ng:
D. wants to demolish his opinions because, he believe that those are the "false opinions". In order to do so, he needs to wipe out his pre-conceived opinions. Does that mean that Descartes needs to break down the house of knowledge? (this was mentioned in class)

 

>rm says: Good start. Still: Why are these opinions false? Descartes doesn't say explicitly. Two interesting questions: What are the opinions about which Descartes is worried? Why doesn't he specify? As for breaking down the house, you could be more specific about how he does it.

 

>From W Y Ng:

Decartes believe that his "false opinions" has deceived him. The opinions, he worried about, are the information he learned from the time he is born, such as if the earth is round or flat.

 

>rm says: This is better, at least as regards the first half of the question. He doesn't mention anything here about science, though I did in class. Is the problem here deception, really, or just doubt?

>From anna grier: Descartes wants to demolish his opinions because
everything he believed from day one to be true is really false.He plans to reflect on the principles that supported everything he percieved to be true and thereby ascertain which is true and which is false.

>rm says: Isn't this too strong? I mean, if everything he believed were false, he couldn't find anything true in it. He worried, surely, about false beliefs, and he pretends that everything he formerly believed is false, but does he really believe it?

 

>From Patricia:

Descartes wants to break down his 'house' of knowledge because he thought that all the things he knew he accepted without any proof. He wants to get rid of those information and rebuild his knowledge based on scientific, proven facts.