Argument against empiricism: Could you know if you were in the Matrix?
1. Comprehension: Why is Descartes trying to discover what cannot possibly be false? What are the three stages of doubt, and what is the point of having all three? Why not just jump to the last one? Explain what foundationalism is. Motivation for Foundationalism.
2. Concept of Knowledge: What is Descartes standard for what counts as knowledge? Why does Descartes make the standard so high?Is it too high? If so, propose an alternative standard.
3. The Cogito: Explain why "I think therefore I am" is important to Descartes's project and what it means. Do you see any problems with the cogito, either in its implications or in its truth (i.e., can you find counter examples)?
4. The Wax: How do you know it's the same thing? What's Descartes's answer? Why does he think it is not via perception (sec. 32)? Do you agree or disagree? Whether you agree or not, suppose you wanted to reject his answer, how would you do it?
5. Truth, Knowledge, and Representational Realism: What does it mean for a statement to be true? How is Descartes representational realism going to make truth about the world difficult to establish?
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