/lit/ - Literature

Thoughts?

>>3440577

Why though?

You're one of those people that visit /lit/ because you think it makes you cool and intellectual. The type of person who has a bookshelf in your room full of obscure literature what you've never read so people think your obscure and cool and intellectual.

Hello lit,
I was looking at Descartes discourse on method, today it's widely rejected because Descartes just assumes the existence of God to prove his theory. However, I think it’s possible to make his discourse work by rehashing it as a proof that God exists. Now I know many of you hate religion so I was hoping to get your help in knocking this argument down, showing me it’s flaws. Please give the logical flaws in the argument.

Let's start with a short synopsis of Descartes argument:

1. I want knowledge that I can be certain of
2. I cannot be certain of my sensory perceptions
3. It is possible that all my sensory perceptions are being deceived by an evil entity (like in the matrix)
4. So what can I know with logic alone.
5. All I can know from logic alone is that I think – and therefore I exist
6. However, with logic I cannot be certain of anything else.
7. Here Descartes assumes that God must exist, and that a good God would not let him have all his senses deceived throughout his entire existence, therefore he can be certain the World exists
Now many people today believe that this was a proof for certain knowledge, and since it pulls God through the back door, it’s not valid, but let’s look at this argument from another way.

1. Since empirical science is based on sensory perceptions, and sensory perceptions cannot be trusted without God
.:we cannot be certain of scientific knowledge to any greater extent than we can be certain of God’s existence.

2. Since our knowledge of the world is based on sensory perceptions, and sensory perceptions cannot be trusted without god
.:we cannot be certain of the existence of the world around us to any greater extent than we can be certain of God’s existence

wtf is petite mort

hey guys, do you know the name of the first piece he plays?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_F15yU4AYM

>>1116819
I know! That's what I keep trying to tell people, but they just go on stubbornly being indistinguishable from existence.

>>912249

I'm currently studying English Lit./minoring in Political Science. I'd recommend checking out Classics of Western Philosophy (7th ed.), by Steven M. Cahn. It's used in some first year philosophy courses and covers a lot of ground. I'm currently on Meditations On First Philosophy by Rene Descartes.

(Same guy who posted all the political readings).