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I write my personal opinion based on what I see in Decartes' writing. Feel free to correct me if you feel that I err. Meditations on First Philosophy With Selections from the Objections and Replies [1641] -- I mark my margins with remarks...perhaps I have a backward understanding of Decartes. He comes off as being cocky in his Dedicatory letter to the Sorbonne. The way I read him, god exists because of the mind. To me, it seems as though he writes from two different hands. He feigns belief with one hand while asking the clergy to come out out of the closet by expressing their disbelief with the other. He knows the learned ones cannot provide proof of god's existence through demonstrations (empirical evidence as one could find in geometry). Descartes seems to do a nice (con) job of sucking up to "those most learned and distinguished men, the Dean and Doctors of the sacred Faculty of Theology at Paris..." Perhaps Decartes sought to score an elenchus. Maybe the "learned and distinguished men" read the document the way I did as they did not provide Decartes with their endorsement. It seems to me that Decartes' awareness of Galileo's ordeal lead him to sly caution. ~ Arachne

What is more, there is the difference that in geometry everyone has been taught to accept that as a rule no proposition is put forward in a book without there being a conclusive demonstration available; so inexperienced students make the mistake of accepting what is false in their desire to appear to understand it, more often than they make the mistake of rejecting what is true. In philosophy, by contrast, the belief is that everything can be argued either way; so few people pursue the truth, while the great majority build up their reputation for ingenuity by boldly attacking whatever is most sound.

Hence, whatever the quality of my arguments may be, because they have to do with philosophy I do not expect they will enable me to achieve any very worthwhile results unless you come to my aid by granting me your patronage. The reputation of your Faculty is so firmly fixed in the minds of all, and the name of the Sorbonne has such authority that, with the exception of the Sacred Councils, no institution caries more weight than yours in matters of faith; while as regards human philosophy, you are thought of as second to none, both for insight and soundness and also for the integrity and wisdom of your pronouncements. Because of this, the results of your careful attention to this book, if you deigned to give it, would be threefold. First, the errors in it would be corrected -- for when I remember not only that I am a human being, but above all that I am an ignorant one, I cannot claim it is free of mistakes. Secondly, any passages which are defective, or insufficiently developed or requiring further explanation, would be supplemented, completed and clarified, either by yourselves or by me after you have given me your advice. And lastly, once the arguments in the book proving that God exists and that the mind is distinct from the body have been brought, as I am sure they can be, to such a pitch of clarity that they are fit to be regarded as very exact demonstrations, you may be willing to declare as much, and make a public statement to that effect. ~ Rene Decartes

Arachne 6 Apr 8
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Descaretes is only useful reading for the global skepticism considerations. His work is taken seriously when it comes to epistemology but nobody really cares about his philosophy of religion stuff.

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Before I go any further, ( I just read your BIO) If i may..

“Cogito, ergo sum” How would you interpret or translate it in your own words ( language)?

avectoi Level 6 Apr 10, 2020

“Cogito, ergo sum” I think therefore I can add up.

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One needs to know which side ones bread is buttered on.

Jolanta Level 9 Apr 9, 2020
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"so inexperienced students make the mistake of accepting what is false in their desire to appear to understand it, more often than they make the mistake of rejecting what is true."
I come from generations of mathematicians yet I believe that a fatal flaw came into being ages ago and that is the belief in infinities to explain what we cannot understand. Yet even on universal scale they decided that the universe was a donut, an expanding one but still a donut. I believe that this is totally wrong. If we do not understand we should accept that there could be many conclusions. What is beyond the edges of the universe? Before the Big Bang? After all the suns die out?
My answer is that none of it exists. That time and space and dimensions are all an illusion and I sincerely hope that after death we come to realise that all was preparation for our time to go to school.
Our goal in life is only to learn to love everyone and everything. To become as babes in many way. To unlearn all the stupidity that we are taught.

If a tree falls in the woods, does it still make a sound even if no one is around to hear it? Is there truth in sound or vibration? Do all things have a frequency? If so, why so? Do we learn from illusions?

@Arachne Yes to the sound.Yes to vibration. Yes to frequency. But are they real? That is a different question. If the world is a nursery that is in fact an illusion it does not matter what aspects are "real".

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