Meditation #3
"In which are
demonstrated
the existence
of God and the
distinction
between the
human soul
and body"
Clear and distinct perceptions
whatever that is clear and
distinct must be true
It concerns the Latin adjectives
clarus and distinctus the
corresponding French adjectives
clair and distinct and the
corresponding English adjectives
‘vivid’ and ‘clear’. Every other
translator of this work into English
has put ‘clear’ and ‘distinct’
Clear
‘I call a perception claram when it
is present and accessible to the
attentive mind—just as we say that
we see something clare when it is
present to the eye’s gaze and
stimulates it with a sufficient
degree of strength and accessibility".
Distinct
"I call a perception
distinctam if, as well as
being clara, it is so sharply
separated from all other
perceptions that every part
of it is clarum"
Theory of ideas
We learn and perceive with the senses
I did not peceive the thing by itself but instead I perceived the IDEA or the thought of it
1. Simply ideas
images of things
ideas of their own, can not be mistaken
Sources
innate
Adventitious
outside of us
senses
Can't change with will
With the knowledge that I exist
Because I doubt
The sun is small according to our senses but astronomically it isn't
Invented by me
Mermaid and unicorn
2. Volitions and emotions
affirmation or fear about ideas on objects
there is only mistake on thinking that judgements resemble things outside the mind
Mode of thought
Substances
GOD
Objective reality
"everything that comes into being must be made to be by
something that has an equal or greater amount of reality"
something outside his mind exists.
people
the idea can easily be conceived, even if they don't exist
animals
angels
Infinite actual being
Conceived by the contrary of finite
eternal
independent
supremely intelligent
immutable
TRUE
Clear and distinct
Idea
I doubt = I'm not perfect
The idea of God
Put by someone else
Because it is perfect
Good
Does not deceive me
Body
Thinking thing
Exist by themselves
Affection
Attributes
Body
Extension
Mind
Thought
Modes
Idea
Link between mind and world
formal reality is the kind of reality things have in this
world
objective reality is the reality of the objects
Cogito
Existance demonstrated by the fact that one thinks