Refer to Descartes ', Meditations on First Philosophy, whena...

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Refer to Descartes ', Meditations on First Philosophy, whenaddressing ...

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1Because he thinks REASON comes before OBSERVATION as the route to secure knowledge He is a rationalist as opposed to empiricist philosopher Of course all agree that reason and observation both contribute the distinction between rationalists and empiricists is only rough and ready and one of emphasis As a rationalist Descartes must reason his way to the view that he can trust his senses not start off by taking sense experience as a reliable basis for knowledge He notes that sense experience suggests for example a flat Earth unmoving Earth small sun and tiny stars all incorrect Descartes is disenchanted with medieval philosophy based on Aristotle who was pretty much an empiricist and says he wishes to start from the beginning and build a solid foundation of knowledge for the sciences His method is the famous Method of Doubt or methodological scepticism he will only accept as knowledge what is so clear and distinct to his mind that it cant be doubted proceeding from there by reason He begins by doubting the evidence of his senses including the existence of the external world and his own body at any time he might be dreaming or an evil demon could be deceiving him Then he doubts even truths of reason an evil demon could affect his mind tricking him into thinking 224 when its really nothing of the kind Had he been an empiricist he would of thought Couch I see it therefore it exists Instead he thought he was being tricked by a demon of deception and that all sensations could have been no more than illusions He wanted to find out what was certain using his mind alone That is why I think therefore I exist is a rational ....

Refer to Descartes', Meditations on First Philosophy, when addressing all three parts of the question below. (1)...

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