Essay about The Intent of Bouwsmas Descartes Evil Genius

The Intent of Bouwsmas Descartes Evil Genius Bouwsmas essay critiques Descartes use of the evil demon in his Meditations on First Philosophy through the creation of two situations in which the evil genius attempts to use his powers for their express purpose, that of deception. Bouwsma conveniently admits the existence of four or five clear and distinct ideas and goes on to show that the evil genius is capable of deceiving mankind about everything else, specifically sensory perceptions. Bouwsmas main point in taking this approach is to express his view that Descartes hypothesis that one might be deceived by an evil demon is incoherent. Bouwsmas second adventure is supposed to indicate that once there becomes no way†¦show more content†¦Tom experiences this illusion, but he is not deceived by it because he recognizes the difference between paper and everything that is not paper, even though everything has been carefully crafted to fool him. Bouwsmas point of this is to use Toms recognition of the difference betw een a flower made out of paper and a real flower, and consequently his recognition that everything but paper had changed its nature, to introduce his idea that people have a solidly formed concept of what things are, that a flower is a flower, and not paper. In the second adventure Bouwsma introduces a thick illusion, where everything is as it would normally be experienced, in which the evil demon exerts his full power and submerses Tom into a dream world, because the first adventure failed to fully take into account Decartes statement And all other external things are nought but illusions. The evil demon destroys everything, but creates illusions in order to mislead Tom into assuming that everything is as it was, that flowers are flowers and may be smelled and felt and have their blossoms plucked and so forth. The problem that this illusion creates is that it has become too real. Bouwsma is arguing that since to Tom the illusions have become indistinguishable from what Tom prev iously knew as reality, the new dream world of the evil demon has become reality. The demons illusion has become so real to Tom that when theShow MoreRelatedBaron dHolbach and William James on Free Will and Determinism1192 Words   |  5 Pagesor isnt insane. In the end it all depends on each individuals opinion on who has a better argument. 4. Give Descartes argument concerning the possibility that we may always be deceived by a malicious demon. Explain O.K. Bouwsmas critique on Descartes. In order to understand Descartes argument you have to know a little bit about his background and beliefs. Renà © Descartes was born in Born in La Haye, Touraine during the year of 1596. He was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematicianRead More Descartes Skeptical Argument And Reponses By Bouwsma And Malcolm2356 Words   |  10 Pages Descartes Skeptical Argument and Reponses by Bouwsma and Malcolm In this essay, I will examine Rene Descartes skeptical argument and responses by O.K. Bouwsma and Norman Malcolm. I intend to prove that while both Bouwsma and Malcolm make points that refute specific parts of Descartes argument in their criticisms, neither is sufficient in itself to refute the whole. In order to understand Descartes argument and its sometimes radical ideas, one must have at least a general idea of his motives