Descartes"s Method of Doubt (ebook)

Argumento de Descartes"s Method of Doubt (ebook)

"Simply put, this is a superb book. It provides a deep, learned, and philosophically engaging reading of the method of doubt as laid out in the first three meditations.... Exemplary in its capacity to seamlessly combine scholarly debate, history of ideas and original philosophising in a clear and lively prose style. The book will be an essential reference in future discussions of Descartes and his method of doubt."--David Macarthur, Philosophical Books

"Descartes's Method of Doubt offers a compelling new reading of what the method of doubt involves, and of the work that it does in the Meditations. . . . Broughton's book must count as a significant contribution to Cartesian studies and early modern philosophy, and it is surely one that will be accorded close attention by scholars in the field. . . . [I]t is clearly and elegantly written. . . . incisive, insightful and illuminating."--Cecilia Wee, British Journal for the History of Philosophy

"This stunning work is without question a major contribution to Cartesian studies, to the field of early modern philosophy, and to general epistemology--original, provocative, and philosophically interesting. The writing is everywhere precise and elegant, but straightforward and conversational at the same time. It is a brilliant piece of philosophy, a masterful work of scholarship, and an engaging read--a trio not often encountered."--Edwin McCann, University of Southern California

"Broughton presents an impressive rethinking of how knowledge, certainty, and doubt figure in Descartes's Meditations. The project is deeply thought out and extremely engaging. In many places the insights are simply startling. Perhaps her most important achievement lies in how well she manages to realize the ambition of many working in the history of philosophy to remain in dialogue with contemporary philosophy."--John Carriero, University of California, Los Angeles

"Given the extent and quality of the scholarly work that precedes it, Broughton's fresh, illuminating, and persuasive reading of Descartes's Meditations is a remarkable achievement."--Robert Fogelin, Dartmouth University

"This is a brilliant book, written in a flowing and elegant prose that belies the extraordinary erudition, and philosophical rigor and subtlety which it contains."--Jorge Secada, Philosophical Quarterly

"In this clearly written and engaging book, Broughton argues that the method of doubt is in fact constructive, a strategy for uncovering the first principles of philosophy by showing that the truth of certain beliefs is a condition for the method of doubt."--Deborah Boyle, Philosophy in Review0Preface ix
Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
The Method of Doubt and Other Cartesian Methods 2
The Method of Doubt and Descartes 's Conception of Knowledge 7
Descartes 's Reasons for Deploying the Method of Doubt 10
PART ONE: Raising Doubt
CHAPTER 1: Who Is Doubting? 21
The Meditator as Anyone 22
The Meditator as Scholastic Philosopher or Person of Common Sense 26
The Meditator's Problematic Persona 28
CHAPTER 2: Ancient Skepticism 33
Academic Skepticism as a Criticism of Stoic Epistemology 34
Pyrrhonian Reflection 37
CHAPTER 3: Reasons for Suspending Judgment 42
The Maxim for Assent 43
High Strategy 49
Withholding Assent and Bracketing Beliefs 54
CHAPTER 4: Reasons for Doubt 62
Skeptical Scenarios as Explanations for False Beliefs 64
Radical Grounds and the Method of Doubt 67
CHAPTER 5: Common Sense and Skeptical Reflection 72
Michael Williams's Reading 74
Contrasts between Ancient Skeptics and Descartes's Meditator 78
Contrasts between Contemporary Philosophers and Descartes 82
PART TWO: Using Doubt
CHAPTER 6: Using Doubt 97
Conditions of Using Doubt 98
Suggestive Texts 101
Three Types of Dependence Argument 104
CHAPTER 7: Inner Conditions 108
The Cogito First Reading 109
My Existence as a Condition of My Doubt 114
"I think" 120
Careful Self-Attributions as Conditions of Doubt 131
CHAPTER 8: Outer Conditions 144
The Idea of God 146
Causal Principles 153
The Physical World 170
CHAPTER 9: Reflections 175
The Cartesian Circle 175
Transcendental Arguments 186
The Fate of Common Sense 196
References 203
Index 211