Introduction to Philosophy
Notes
This is not a substitute for coming to class
Richard Lee
Philosophy
2003 C 001
Copyright © 1999,
Richard Lee
Spring 1999
Lessons Learned from Descartes'
Wax Example
Descartes draws several conclusions from his
Wax example
:
What I
know
about wax is not what is what the senses tell me. (P 223b)
Wax (and any other material body) is
essentially
just an extended thing. (P 223b)
I know the wax not through sense and imagination but by my mind. (P 224a)
I don't know material bodies as well as I thought I did. (P 224b)
I know my mind better than I know material things. (P 224bf)
Richard Lee
,
rlee@comp.uark.edu
, last modified: 22 March 1999