Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Apprehension: reason in absence of Rules' and 'Preface to 'Principles of Philosophy''

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6 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 4. Metaphysics as Science
21962 Metaphysics is the roots of the tree of science [Descartes]
     Full Idea: The whole of philosophy is like a tree. The roots are metaphysics, the trunk is physics, and the branches emerging from the trunk are all the other sciences.
     From: René Descartes (Preface to 'Principles of Philosophy' [1647]), quoted by A.W. Moore - The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics 01.2
     A reaction: If Descartes had not believed this he would not have bothered with metaphysics, and philosophy might have been dead by 1650.
2. Reason / F. Fallacies / 4. Circularity
3659 I know the truth that God exists and is the author of truth [Descartes]
     Full Idea: I have very clearly deduced the following truths, that there is a God who is the author of all that is in the world, and who is the source of all truth.
     From: René Descartes (Preface to 'Principles of Philosophy' [1647], p.180)
11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 1. Certainty
3657 Understanding, not the senses, gives certainty [Descartes]
     Full Idea: Certainty is not in the sense but in the understanding alone, when it has evident perceptions.
     From: René Descartes (Preface to 'Principles of Philosophy' [1647], p.177)
12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 1. Common Sense
22668 Apprehension is a complex intellect grasping the essence of a complex object [Holt,L]
     Full Idea: The paradigm case of apprehension is of a complex intellect confronted with a complex object, in which the intellect understands in a particular context what is 'essential' about the object.
     From: Lynn Holt (Apprehension: reason in absence of Rules [2002], 3 'Expertise')
     A reaction: My line is that this apprehension cashes out as an immediate ability to explain the object. This is an enhanced version of the rational understanding of things found in most larger animals. Holt says her account is Aristotelian.
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
468 Musical performance can reveal a range of virtues [Damon of Ath.]
     Full Idea: In singing and playing the lyre, a boy will be likely to reveal not only courage and moderation, but also justice.
     From: Damon (fragments/reports [c.460 BCE], B4), quoted by (who?) - where?
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism
3660 Atheism arises from empiricism, because God is intangible [Descartes]
     Full Idea: The existence of God has been doubted by some, because they attributed too much to the perceptions of the senses, and God can be neither seen nor touched.
     From: René Descartes (Preface to 'Principles of Philosophy' [1647], p.180)