Write responses to each of the following questions 1) What is Descartes\' \"evil
ID: 3469739 • Letter: W
Question
Write responses to each of the following questions
1) What is Descartes' "evil demon" hypothesis? Why does he introduce this into his discussion?
2) What kind of thing does Descartes think that he is? How does he arrive at this conclusion?
3) What "extravagant" opinion does Hylas accuse Philonous of holding? How does Philonous argue that this opinion is not "skeptical"?
4) Hylas tries proposing a material "substratum" to explain what we observe. What does he mean by this, and how does Philonous object?
Explanation / Answer
1.The Descartes evil demon hypothesis states that an evil demon exists in the memories of human minds to cause doubts about their memories. Descartes introduces this hypothesis because he thinks that he can only identify the truth after critically evaluating and doubting his beliefs. In an attempt to prove this hypothesis he decided to erase his knowledge and rebuild it on nothing but the truth. 2.Descartes thinks he is a “thinking thing.” he concludes after observing that he knows his mind better than his body. Descartes concluded that he was a thinking thing when he decided to go into cognito and to seek the foundation of knowledgebased on the truth.Cognito translates into “I think therefore I exist.” He begins by rethinking what he believes himself to be, and then subtracts from that everything that can be doubted. He believes himself to be a physical body and a soul (a living thing that moves and senses). Physical objects are spatial and empirical, and cannot move themselves. Since we can be deceived and mistaken about the existence of physical objects, then it is far from certain that bodies exist. If nutrition, self-movement, sensation, and thought belong to the soul, then the first three appear to require the existence of a body. Since that can be doubted, they can be doubted. So we are left with thought. Since we cannot doubt we are thinking when we are thinking, and since thinking requires the existence of something that does the thinking, I must be a thinking thing. This alone is certain. Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation
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