Source: Meditations on First Philosophy – Rene Descartes (Must use)
Prompt #1: In the Second Meditation, Descartes discovers that even if he is radically deceived
about everything that he takes to be true, there is still one thing that he knows with certainty
and cannot be wrong about; namely, that he exists as a thinking thing (res cogitans). What is
the Cogito and on what grounds does Descartes think he can be certain about his own
existence? Do you find Descartes’ Cogito compelling? Do you agree or disagree that even if
we doubt everything else, there is one thing we cannot doubt, that we exist? Raise a potential
objection to Descartes Cogito. Do you think that this objection is ultimately successful, or can
Descartes adequately respond to it?
Prompt #2: In Meditation VI of the Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes offers two
separate arguments for thinking that the mind is separate and distinct from the body. The
first is the conceivability argument; the second, the divisibility argument. Choose one of these
arguments and analyze it carefully. Why does Descartes think he can conclude that the mind
is a non-physical substance, capable of existing independently from the body? Do you find
Descartes’ argument convincing? What serious objection can be raised against this position?
Can Descartes respond to such an objection?
Formatting
• Two Pages (500-700 words)
• Double-Spaced
• 1 inch margins
• 12 point Times New Roman Font
Point Breakdown:
1. Argument Reconstruction (2.5 points)
2. Evaluation of Argument
a. Objection (2.5 points)
b. Response (2.5 points)
c. Adjudication (2.5 points)