Review Descartes & NietzscheReview Descartes & Nietzsche

• Cartesian skepticism– Motivated by evil-demon fantasy—too broad

• Needs a premise he cannot doubt– I think: denying it is a pragmatic contradiction (paradox?)– Conclusion I exist follows as a matter of sentence form

• Cartesian dualism– Only proved thinker thinking thoughts

• Bodies, other minds? Needs an argument

• God refutes demon and warrants “clear and distinct” reasoning—science.

• Cartesian skepticism– Motivated by evil-demon fantasy—too broad

• Needs a premise he cannot doubt– I think: denying it is a pragmatic contradiction (paradox?)– Conclusion I exist follows as a matter of sentence form

• Cartesian dualism– Only proved thinker thinking thoughts

• Bodies, other minds? Needs an argument

• God refutes demon and warrants “clear and distinct” reasoning—science.

Ontological ArgumentOntological Argument

• Only proof with “ideas” only as premises– The idea (definition, meaning, concept) God

• God =df the uniquely perfect being

• Perfect=df has all positive attributes (predicates)

• Exist 有 is an attribute of its subject (Parmenides?)» Can be translated but the trick doesn’t work!

» No problem with exists 有 is positive?

• God lacks existence (in reality)=not God• Neither a predicate adjective nor a verb

• Role in modern logicoperator

• Only proof with “ideas” only as premises– The idea (definition, meaning, concept) God

• God =df the uniquely perfect being

• Perfect=df has all positive attributes (predicates)

• Exist 有 is an attribute of its subject (Parmenides?)» Can be translated but the trick doesn’t work!

» No problem with exists 有 is positive?

• God lacks existence (in reality)=not God• Neither a predicate adjective nor a verb

• Role in modern logicoperator

Nietzsche: Rational Desperation Nietzsche: Rational Desperation

• Fear of loss of meaning, purpose– Existential angst—suspension over nothing– Death of God mythloss of special status

• Desperate resort to grammatical tricks

• Needs strength of will– The overman overcomes the fear and loss– Or change perspectiveZhuangzi

• See as ultimate freedom (from gravity:God:absolutes)

• Fear of loss of meaning, purpose– Existential angst—suspension over nothing– Death of God mythloss of special status

• Desperate resort to grammatical tricks

• Needs strength of will– The overman overcomes the fear and loss– Or change perspectiveZhuangzi

• See as ultimate freedom (from gravity:God:absolutes)

Genealogy of MoralsGenealogy of Morals

• No reliance on metaphysics (God, Forms, Reality)

– Free creation—presuppose values– Genealogy to appreciate the range

• Master-slave morality types– Resentment, anti-, don’t, evil, sin: slave type– Affirm, do, good-bad master type

• No reliance on metaphysics (God, Forms, Reality)

– Free creation—presuppose values– Genealogy to appreciate the range

• Master-slave morality types– Resentment, anti-, don’t, evil, sin: slave type– Affirm, do, good-bad master type

QuestionsQuestionsQuestionsQuestions

Quiz and coffee tutorial (brief)

Back to Ontological argument

Quiz and coffee tutorial (brief)

Back to Ontological argument

Argument AnalogyArgument Analogy

• Ontological: perfectexist– Difficult to see why invalid

• Argument in same form – with true premises and false conclusion

• Perfect island objection– And perfect anything

– Return of Plato’s forms

• Ontological: perfectexist– Difficult to see why invalid

• Argument in same form – with true premises and false conclusion

• Perfect island objection– And perfect anything

– Return of Plato’s forms

Reality and Good or Power?Reality and Good or Power?

• Reality is interpretation– The myth of the original text

• My Zhuangzi expresses my will to power over text– Not wrong and others right—all seek power over it– Control it; use it

• Interpretations: not getting close to reality• Only power conferring stories• Science as another myth

– A power conferring way to interpret reality

• Reality is interpretation– The myth of the original text

• My Zhuangzi expresses my will to power over text– Not wrong and others right—all seek power over it– Control it; use it

• Interpretations: not getting close to reality• Only power conferring stories• Science as another myth

– A power conferring way to interpret reality

How Reality Became MythHow Reality Became Myth

• David Hume and Immanuel Kant– Hume attacks Descartes “clear” science

• Cannot rationally prove causation– Identity (no substantial “I” think)– Value—can’t get an “ought” from an “is”

• Immanuel Kant—Aristotle equal– Salvages rationalism: we can know cause

• Structure of mind imposed on a manifold– Thing in itself and thing as perceived

• David Hume and Immanuel Kant– Hume attacks Descartes “clear” science

• Cannot rationally prove causation– Identity (no substantial “I” think)– Value—can’t get an “ought” from an “is”

• Immanuel Kant—Aristotle equal– Salvages rationalism: we can know cause

• Structure of mind imposed on a manifold– Thing in itself and thing as perceived

Kant: Numenon/PhenomenonKant: Numenon/Phenomenon

• The mind structures phenomenal reality– Imposes space, time, cause, identity– But value, obligation from the noumenon

• Can’t be perceived but really there• Truths of a third category—not analytic or

empirical

• Problem—image of mind filtering realilty– It is a causal, time-space, identity picture

• These can’t apply to the noumenal world

• The mind structures phenomenal reality– Imposes space, time, cause, identity– But value, obligation from the noumenon

• Can’t be perceived but really there• Truths of a third category—not analytic or

empirical

• Problem—image of mind filtering realilty– It is a causal, time-space, identity picture

• These can’t apply to the noumenal world

Positivism: Freedom from ValuePositivism: Freedom from Value

• An early 20th century movement: Science

– Only scientific statements meaningful– Value claims are non-cognitive,

meaningless

• Nietzsche predicts the position– 20th century Existentialism rebelled against

it

• An early 20th century movement: Science

– Only scientific statements meaningful– Value claims are non-cognitive,

meaningless

• Nietzsche predicts the position– 20th century Existentialism rebelled against

it

The Real World Is a MythThe Real World Is a Myth

• Plato (the sun) attainable to the wise

• Christianity (A woman! A promise)

• Kant (a skeptical possibility) source of obligation

• Positivism (value unknowable, so meaningless)

• Nietzsche (abandon real/apparent distinction)

• Plato (the sun) attainable to the wise

• Christianity (A woman! A promise)

• Kant (a skeptical possibility) source of obligation

• Positivism (value unknowable, so meaningless)

• Nietzsche (abandon real/apparent distinction)