Notes on Introduction to Philosophy -- Phil A201
William Jamison - Instructor
Lecture 5
Fifth lecture notes for Introduction to Philosophy
Notes and slides for Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza lecture.
Descartes:
There are quite a few wonderful sites with information and texts on Descartes. One link is a very well done presentation on the Meditations. Try this one for an overall picture of Descartes' life. Both of these links are different than the one given in the syllabus.
Slide 1: Descartes
 | Establish the priority of Reason over Faith |
| Show that knowledge is possible through the use of reason -- I think; therefore, I am. |
| Clear and distinct knowledge is the goal |
| Mathematics is certain |
| Mind - Body Dualism |
| Mind and Body interact in the pineal gland |
| Rationalism -- Thoughts as starting point |
Explanation: While for Augustine it was necessary to believe in order to understand -- so faith was prior to reason, and for Anselm faith sought understanding, and for Aquinas reason and faith were mutually supportive, with Descartes we move into the Modern period. His efforts are to establish a firm basis for our knowledge and this firm basis will be the logical certainty of the cogito and that which is clear and distinct to the thinking substance. His work begins what is known as rationalism.
Slide 2: René Descartes 1596 - 1650
| Jesuit college of La Flèche in Anjou - at eight, 1604 - 1612, studying classics, logic and traditional Aristotelian philosophy |
| law degree from Poitiers in 1616 then enlisted in the military school at Breda |
| 1618 studied mathematics and mechanics under the Dutch scientist Isaac Beeckman, and began to seek a unified science of nature |
| 1619 joined the Bavarian army |
Slide 3: René Descartes
| 1620 - 1628 traveled through Europe |
| 1628 settled in Holland |
| first major treatise on physics, Le Monde, ou Traité de la Lumière near completion when Galileo was condemned to house arrest |
| 1637 Discours de la méthod |
| La Dioptrique, Les Météores, and La Géométrie (includes his application of algebra to geometry from which we now have Cartesian geometry) |
Slide 4: René Descartes
| Meditations on First Philosophy -1641 |
| Principia Philosophiae -1644 put the whole universe on a mathematical foundation reducing the study to one of mechanics - 4 parts: |
| The Principles of Human Knowledge |
| The Principles of Material Things |
| Of the Visible World |
| The Earth |
Slide 5: René Descartes
| In 1649 Queen Christina of Sweden persuaded Descartes to go to Stockholm. However the Queen wanted to draw tangents at 5 a.m. and Descartes broke the habit of his lifetime of getting up at 11 o'clock. After only a few months in the cold northern climate, walking to the palace at 5 o'clock every morning, he died of pneumonia. |
Any interesting video that brings up Descartes is Mindwalk VHS ~ with Liv Ullmann (1991)
There are a number of sites available with information on Thomas Hobbes.
Slide 1: Thomas Hobbes
| Born a "twin of fear" |
| Translates Thucydides - might = right |
| Tutor to royalty |
| Inspired by Galileo's concept of motion |
| Applies this concept to psychology |
| senses receive motions from things |
| body responds as a machine to stimuli |
| Self-interest cause of all choices |
| State of Nature - "dog eat dog" world |
Explanation: Hobbes is arguably the first British empiricist, though this is usually considered Locke for reasons we will discuss with Locke. It is also arguable to view Hobbes as an example of a behaviorist, though this is also an interpretive issue. It is clear that Galileo had a great impact on his thought and his views can be seen as an application of Galileo's interest in movement to the human body.
Slide 2: Leviathan
| Social Contract |
| purpose is security |
| even the strong need the contract |
| inalienable rights |
| Life, Liberty, property |
| Commonwealth |
| The fool hath said in his heart, "There is no such thing as justice." |
| covenants without the sword - useless |
Hobbes is the first of the social contract philosophers. Locke and Rousseau are others. A contemporary who uses the concept of social contract theory to develop a theory of justice is John Rawls.
Slide 3: Absolute Monarch - best
| enlightened monarch - interest is the same as the best interest of the people |
| church - like a department of state |
| religion - social answer to fears of the unknown, ignorance of second causes |
| Oliver Cromwell understands Leviathan as support for his government |
| Charles II rewards Hobbes with pension |
How much of Hobbes support for the absolute monarch is a result of the almost constant civil war during his life time? Even though he supported the absolute monarch, Hobbes is still viewed as the first liberal philosopher (by many) because the legitimacy of the monarch's authority was not Divine Right but the social contract.
Slide 4: Reformation - Bible as the source of all religious authority
| John Wycliffe - English Bible |
| Follower John Huss executed 1415 |
| John Knox - Scotland (against Mary) 1560 |
| Martin Luther - Bible in German 1532 |
| Henry VIII - head of church in England 1534 |
| King James Bible - 1611 (Welsh -1588) |
| John Calvin - Geneva - 1560 |
| Inquisition- Jesuits - 30 Years War |
Explanation: Both Hobbes and Spinoza must also be viewed in light of the reformation and what that was doing to religious belief, relationship of religious institutions to the state, and theories of ethics.
Slide 1: Spinoza
| Studied Scriptures, Talmud and Jewish medieval classics in Hebrew |
| Studied Latin with an ex-Jesuit, became acquainted with Descartes, Bacon, Hobbes - Mechanistic science of Nature |
| Expelled and cursed from the synagogue because of his heterodox beliefs |
| Did not renounce his Jewish heritage |
Slide 2: Tractatus Theologico-Politicus
| Application of Mechanistic science to Scripture |
| Interpreting Scripture like interpreting nature |
| study the nature and properties of the language |
| classify and compare the topics and passages |
| ascertain who wrote it, when, how, to whom |
| His conclusions: |
| first twelve books written on a single theme by one author - probably Ezra |
| prophetic books are fragments |
| interpretations of God's revelations are flawed |
Explanation: The greatest impact Spinoza had was after his death, since he published little during his life. However, his effect on the religious views of Locke and the work of Leibniz are of major importance.
Slide 3: Revelation as Practical
| Nature is God |
| Laws come from God |
| The very essence of God is nature being as it is, a lawful self-caused system, so there is no intervention in the normal course of events |
| Truths God reveals are of direct practical value |
| Since God neither has created nature from outside, nor intervenes, scripture that says he has must be false |
| either what is reported did not happen, or happened naturally even though man did not understand how |
Explanation: If we look at the chain backwards from Jefferson to Locke to Spinoza we see a chain of thinking that effected religious freedom in the Virginia and the US. It seems pretty clear that Spinoza's interest in religious toleration because of his belief that science was the way to know God, had an impact on Locke and his support of religious toleration. Locke in turn had great impact on Jefferson. The result is the first attempt in our history of a nation resolved to prevent religious dogma or institutions from having control over law in general or each other.