Phil 111: Introduction to Philosophy LARKIN: Spring 2003

Review for Test # 2:

Descartes, Meditations

I. Take-Home Essay: Type up a 1-2 page response to the following question to hand in on the day of the in-class test.

What is the nature/function/value of Philosophy according to Descartes?

[You should discuss Descartes’ quest for certainty, foundationalism, the method of universal doubt, skeptical arguments, and rationalism.]

II. In-Class Test: The test will be given Thursday, March 27^th in class.

The test will consist in part of 5-10 multiple-choice questions about the details of the readings, and the following terms:

1. refutation by logical analogy

2. validity and soundness

3. strength and cogency

4. a priori vs. a posteriori

5. necessity and possibility

There will also be 2 short essay questions. I will choose 2 questions from each of the groups below to put on the test, and students will pick one from each group to answer.

A. Skeptical Arguments

1. Why does Descartes abandon the Unreliability of the Senses Argument in favor of the Dream Argument?

2. Why does Descartes abandon the Dream Argument in favor of the Evil Genius Argument?

3. Which claims survive the Evil Genius argument and why?

B. God, Free Will, and the Soul

1. Critically evaluate Descartes’ argument for the existence of God in Meditation Three?

2. Explain two worries about the possibility of God or the coherence of the concept of God. [c.f., the paradox of omnipotence, the problem of evil, the problem of freedom and foreknowledge]

3. Critically evaluate Descartes’ dualism.