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The Western Canon Mailing List
Moderator: Paul John Barnette Jr.
Activation Date: March 8, 1997
Current Date:  July 7, 1997
Current Membership: 78
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This is a response to posting #046

1. What would Descartes' opinion be in regards to the current 
debate over the possibility of artificial intelligence?

I think Descartes is in another plane. His book is about metaphysics 
and the current debate over artificial intelligence is a technical 
one. In this debate, the posibility of thinking machines is not 
discused (and this is the only metaphysical debate) but the technical 
advances for information processing and, from here, the machine take 
decisions. I'm not sure Descartes would be interested in such 
things.

2. How is Descartes' method simular to the scientific method and
how is it different?

I suppose the scientific method has been developed from Descartes, 
but undoubtedly he is the father. Many of the steps of his Method 
have not varied.

3. Does Descartes actually doubt to the extent that he says he 
does, or is his method of doubt simply a technique he uses to 
convince his readers?

Yes, the doubt is a main point of the Method not at all to convince
anyone. It changes absolutly our minds in order to learn about the
outside world. It is very useful in order to apply to the technics 
but it is very dangerous to the first principles because this first
principles, as axiomatics, we feel them undoubted and to force this 
in the way Descartes do, gets us to realize that we only know that we 
know nothing. And this is not true. We are sure of a lot of things.
 
4. Descartes uses the example of a piece of wax to argue that we
actually know objects with the power of judgment in our minds 
rather than with our physical senses. Is this true?

This is against the common sense. But Descartes has an unsoluble 
problem to demonstrate the reality of the world as he said I think, 
then I am. For Descartes, my existence, my thinking, my mind, I, is 
the first principle. Since the existence of the reality is not the 
first principle it is impossible to demonstrate it. 
 
 5. Is the proof that Descartes gives for the existence of God in 
the third meditation valid?

No. A clear and distinct idea is a subjective criterium. From here, 
it is impossible to proof anything. The ontological argument, 
besides, confusses the reign of the ideas and the real reign. A non 
existent God would be a non perfect idea of God, so if God exist, he 
must have all the perfections but not viceversa. That I can imagine a 
being with all the perfections doesn't proof anything.
  
6. Descartes believes that there are ideas innate in the mind, 
such asthe idea of God, because they cannot be derived from the 
senses. What is your opinion of innate ideas?

There are none.

Enrique Camacho


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