Descartes's method of doubt / Janet Broughton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Broughton, Janet, 1948-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Descartes, René, 1596-1650.

Descartes, René.

Belief and doubt.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (235 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Descartes thought that we could achieve absolute certainty by starting with radical doubt. He adopts this strategy in the Meditations on First Philosophy, where he raises sweeping doubts with the famous dream argument and the hypothesis of an evil demon. But why did Descartes think we should take these exaggerated doubts seriously? And if we do take them seriously, how did he think any of our beliefs could ever escape them? Janet Broughton undertakes a close study of Descartes's first three meditations to answer these questions and to present a fresh way of understanding precisely what Descartes was up to. Broughton first contrasts Descartes's doubts with those of the ancient skeptics, arguing that Cartesian doubt has a novel structure and a distinctive relation to the commonsense outlook of everyday life. She then argues that Descartes pursues absolute certainty by uncovering the conditions that make his radical doubt possible. She gives a unified account of how Descartes uses this strategy, first to find certainty about his own existence and then to argue that God exists. Drawing on this analysis, Broughton provides a new way to understand Descartes's insistence that he hasn't argued in a circle, and she measures his ambitions against those of contemporary philosophers who use transcendental arguments in their efforts to defeat skepticism. The book is a powerful contribution both to the history of philosophy and to current debates in epistemology.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

Part 1. Raising Doubt

Part 2. Using doubt

References

Index

Notes:

Originally published, 2002.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-209) and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9786612935282

9786612087097

9781400814046

1400814049

9781282087095

1282087096

9781282935280

1282935283

9781400825042

1400825040

OCLC:

362778395