1. Arguing with Descartes
Meditation 1
Foundationalism
No justification
Scientific knowledge
Methodology
‘Basket of apples’ incoherent
Empiricism
Counterfeit coins
Dreaming argument - simples
- evil demon
- truth

2. Meditation 2
Cogito
Still requires prior knowledge (Kant)
Misconception of ‘knowledge’ (Wittgenstein)
Suppressed premise in syllogism – but no
Unjustified claim to ‘I’ (self)
Substance
‘properties’ never separated
‘substance-less’ properties

3. Meditation 2
Clarity of mind
Doubtfulness of conscious thoughts
Are consciousness and thoughts separate (Hobbes)?
Wax Argument
Objects are never ‘pure extension’ (Quinton)
Mind not defined/explained positively (Gassendi)
- mind unique
- mind not mechanistic

4. Meditation 3
Clear and distinct perception
Criterion not self-evident
Self-evidence wholly subjective
Directness not uniform or unchanging
Criterion too narrow

5. Meditation 3
Trademark argument
No knowledge of ex nihilo
No knowledge of hierarchy of intentional reality
Knowledge of perfection inadequate
Implausibility of causation of ‘idea’/’real’
Circular argument
Hence flawed - memory

6. Meditation 4
Making judgements
Problems of clear and distinct perception
Impossibility of Descartes’ method
Problem with knowledge of consciousness

7. Meditation 5
Essence of material things
A priori knowledge (not from senses, not dependent on his will)
Ontological argument
Defining existence as a property
- God is special
Illegitimacy of comparison (‘idea’/’real’)

8. Meditation 6
Reliability of senses
Necessity of God
Dualism
Exceptions to Leibniz’ law (med 2)
Brain-mind interdependence (Gassendi)
- property dualism
Involvement of clear and distinct perception
Extension not essentially not a part of mind (Arnauld)
- cannot be knowable
Uncertainty of particularity (one-to-one plus permanence)
Interaction of mind/body
- oneness of these