Exam 9: The Rationalist: René Descartes

The belief that everything consists of only one substance is

How might Descartes's appeal to "clear and distinct" ideas be subject to criticism? Could Descartes respond to this criticism by distinguishing between a first-person approach to his arguments (i.e., where they are aimed only at the person following them) and a third-person approach to them (i.e., where they are intended to be fully accessible to others)? What might this response look like? Would it be satisfactory?

"All triangles have 180 degrees" is an example of a priori knowledge.

Descartes died when he was 53.

Descartes liked to sleep in.

Innate ideas are also known as a priori ideas.

Susan Bordo is

For Descartes, God is

What was Descartes's rationalism inspired by?

A posteriori knowledge is empirical knowledge.

An attempt to prove the existence of God by referring to the meaning of the word God is

What did Descartes appeal to as the ultimate standard to be used in accepting or rejecting ideas?

Descartes is associated with the phrase "I think, therefore I am."

How many principles were in Descartes's  Rules ?

What advantages might Descartes's dualist view have for someone who believes that humans have free will?

Descartes discovered that Aristotle's writings on nature contained errors.

In Descartes's time, the distinction between science and philosophy was clear.

Descartes wrote in secretive, opaque language.

A common criticism of Descartes's approach is that he failed to apply his standard of truth to itself.

Thomas Hobbes argued that everything was composed of