Question

3.)For Descartes, a rationalist, the source of our foundational knowledge is reason without the aid of the senses. So, how does he explain the origin of our foundational knowledge?

1. The origin of our foundational knowledge is explained by the fact that are birth our minds are but blank slates (tabula rasa) upon which sense experience writes itself.

2. The source of our foundational knowledge is explained by Descartes' doctrine of innate ideas.

3. Both 'a' and 'b'

Answer 1

According to Descartes, for the understanding of a certain object, it is the mind that is important. Senses helped us in exploring and understanding the physical form but to understand the physical things completely it requires inspecting it with our mind because without perceiving with our mind it is not possible to have the true picture of that object.

He had given the example of wax he says that the wax has its odor, shape, size, etc. When the wax is burned the shape changes with this our perception of the wax also changes. The was in its original form was solid when it was burnt it became liquid which means its appearance changes but no one can claim that after heating it is not the same object. Our sensory perception would help in understanding the physical form of the wax but what about the non-sensory part of the wax that is extended and flexible. Thus extended and flexible parts can be understood through imagination, but it is not possible to imagine all infinite properties of the wax thus the only thing to understand wax is mind. It is only the mind that can understand various forms of wax. Thus the perception of wax in its original form through sense (seeing, touching,) was an imperfect it had revealed different forms but it is the mind that has understood the wax independent of senses.

According to him, senses are valuable but understanding those senses in different situations is the job of the human mind. Senses give us the knowledge of external shape, size, and odor may not be all accurate while the mind gives us the knowledge of the hidden character of an object the burning of the wax can give the sensation of heat we can feel but the mind can reason out about the heat. It is important to have the true perception and to have true perceptions the questions should be broken into smaller parts then objective reason can be put to work to solve the problem.

According to John Locke, when the child is born his mind is blank (tabula rasa) he learns through his surroundings and sensory experiences. The source of human behavior is largely on his surroundings thus the behavior can be changed by changing the environment. Although humans have genetic characteristics the human behavior can be changed by changing the environment because the mind is a Tabula Rasa that is a blank slate.

In contrast to blank slate Descartes says that humans are born with innate ideas these are innate ideas about God, mind (finite), body (indefinite), and union of mind and body. One has no sensory experiences of God but one believes in the existence of God (except atheist) that it is theological demand that God is immaterial has no physical body although no satisfactory empirical origin of him could be conceived we are born with this innate knowledge that there is some force, and we call it God.