Section discussion questions on Descartes for week of November 17th.
Page references to Anscombe and Geach.

1.  Rule III of the Rules for the Direction of the Mind (p. 153) says 
that we must inquire only about "what we can clearly and manifestly 
perceive by intuition or deduce with certainty."  Explain the 
distinction between intuition and deduction (see pp. 156-7).  Give 
some examples of each.

2.  In Rule IX Descartes says that intuition must satisfy two 
conditions (pp. 162-3):  (i) our understanding must be clear and 
distinct, (ii) it must be one simultaneous whole without succession. 
How do these two conditions relate to the distinction between 
intuition and deduction as in question 1 above?  What is the role of 
the distinction between simultaneity and succession here?  Again, 
illustrate with examples.

3.  In Part II of the Discourse on Method (p. 21) Descartes refers to 
"long chains of perfectly simple and easy reasonings."  How does this 
relate to the distinction between intuition and deduction as in 
questions 1 and 2 above?  What is Descartes's main example of where 
such chains of reasonings are to be found? 

4.  In Part IV (p. 31) Descartes says that one can "make mistakes in 
reasoning even as regards the simplest points of geometry" and 
concludes that he "rejected as false all the arguments I had so far 
taken as demonstrations."  In light on questions 1 - 3 above, what 
kind of mistakes do you think Descartes is referring to here: 
mistakes in "intuition," in "deduction" or both?

5.  On p. 32 Descartes concludes that he is "a substance whose whole 
essence or nature is to be conscious (to think) and whose being 
requires no place and depends on no material thing."  What exactly 
does Descartes mean by this?  What is his argument for it?

6.  On pp. 32-4 Descartes outlines his famous argument for the 
existence of God.  Briefly summarize this argument.  Is it convincing?

7.  On p. 36 Descartes says that his principle, "that whatever we 
conceive very clearly and distinctly is true, is assured only because 
God exists and is a perfect being."  Why does Descartes say this? 
Why is God more certain than anything else, including mathematics 
(compare question 4 above)?

8.  What kinds of things are certain, according to Descartes, whether 
one is asleep or awake (pp. 36-7)?  Do you agree?

9.  In Part VI (p. 45) Descartes refers to a treatise he had finished 
"three years ago," which he then refrained from publishing because of 
the disapproval of "a physical theory published a little while before 
by somebody else."  Which treatise had Descartes finished "three 
years ago" (and when was that)?  Who had published the "physical 
theory" in question, when, and in what book?

10.  On pp. 54-5 Descartes says that he will after all now publish 
the present Discourse together with a few "special treatises" he 
takes not to be "too controversial."  What treatises are these, and 
why are they less "controversial" than the one he decided not to 
publish earlier (question 9)?  What is the "controversy" in question?