Nicholas Harmon Philosophy 25B Professor McCann GSI Josh Beattie 15 Febr ary 2!!

5 Memory an" #reamin$ %ife In the first of his Meditations on First Philosophy& #escartes proposes t'o reasons 'hy e(perience mi$ht be "o bte"& n"er his ra"ical s)eptic criteria 'hich aims at establishin$ a fo n"ation for certainty free from pre* "ices+ Pre* "ices of e(perience of the 'orl" are contraste" 'ith t'o possible scenarios in 'hich e(perience mi$ht be n"ermine" as a reliable fo n"ation for belief+ ,hese scenarios pro-i"es a reason to "o bt e-erythin$ b t the thin)in$ self& as a thin)in$ thin$& an" reason to e(plore the iss es of min" an" bo"y& $o"& an" e(ternal reality 'hich are ta)en p thro $h the co rse of the me"itations+ .ne of the possible scenarios 'hich mi$ht ca se "o bt 'ith re$ar" to the fo n"ation of belief in e(perience fin"s its ori$ins in the occasional mista)en nat re of sensory perception+ .ne is occasionally "ecei-e" by one/s senses& an" 0it is pr "ent ne-er to tr st completely those 'ho ha-e "ecei-e" s e-en once1 2Descartes 1831+ Sensory e(perience is for this reason possible "o btable+ 4et #escartes initially notes that it seems foolish to ima$ine that one is tric)e" by one/s senses all the time& that one is not& in fact& at any moment& 'here one belie-es oneself to be+ It 'o l" seem that only an insane person co l" e(ist in s ch a state of conf sion an" false belief+ Ho'e-er& #escartes presents the e(perience of a "reamer& a person 'hose sensory e(perience is in fact all false 'hile "reamin$+ 5ithin a "ream one is capable of belie-in$ that one is in a "ifferent location

6ll s bse7 ent citations 'ill refer to Meditations on First Philosophy, With Selections from the Objections and Replies& by 8en9 #escartes& translate" an" e"ite" by John Cottin$ham& Cambri"$e :ni-ersity Press& 1;;<+ Pa$ination refers to those of the ori$inal te(t& not the translation+

an" "oin$ "ifferent thin$s than they physically are "oin$& that bein$ lyin$ in be" asleep+ =-en in a "ream one mi$ht thin) 06ll this 'o l" not happen 'ith s ch "istinctness to someone asleep1 2Descartes 193& con-incin$ oneself of the reality of the e(perience& as one is 'hile a'a)e on an a-era$e "ay+ ,his is a scenario 'hich is -ery important to the pro$ress of #escartes/s Me"itations& an" remains possible after the e-il $eni s possibility has been "iscar"e"+ In the Si(th Me"itation #escartes presents a final ar$ ment a$ainst the possibility that 'hat is ta)en to be 'a)in$ life is in fact a "ream& 'hich centers on the role of the memory in confirmin$ e(perience+ By the Si(th Me"itation& #escartes has alrea"y establishe" that Go" is not a "ecei-er+ If Go" is not a "ecei-er& an" one has a stron$ inclination to belie-e in the e(istence of an e(ternal 'orl"& 'hile lac)in$ a fac lty to correct that belief if it is an nfo n"e" one& an" Go" is the in"i-i" al/s creator& then e(ternal ob*ects m st e(ist 2Descartes 9!8"3+ ,he e(ternal 'orl" is establishe" as real in this ar$ ment& in #escartes/s -ie'+ .ne has a stron$ inclination to belie-e that one e(ists in a physical 'orl"& an" that one/s senses "o not lie in $eneral+ .ne may be occasionally mista)en in percei-in$ an ob*ect& an" one/s senses may be incorrect from time to time& b t in $eneral& sensation is reliable an" ob*ects "o e(ist+ ,he confirmation of sense "ata is ai"e" by the tools #escartes ascribes to in"i-i" als in "iscernin$ correct perception from incorrect perceptions+ .ne may se the m ltiple senses at one/s "isposal& 'hich 0>report the tr th m ch more fre7 ently than not1 2Descartes 893+ .ne may also an" conc rrently& for more precision& se the intellect& 'hich can "iscern possible ca ses of error an" "iscern 'hat is "o btable an" not+ Finally one may also an" at the same time se memory 2#bid$3+

Memory is a lin) bet'een past an" present e(perience& an" is central in #escartes "ismissal of the possibility that life is a "ream+ ,he presence an" possible tili?ation of memory is an essential factor in "istin$ ishin$ bet'een "reamin$ an" act al life+ #escartes 'rites& 0"reams are ne-er lin)e" by memory 'ith all the other actions of life as 'a)in$ e(periences are1 2Descartes 893+ He pro-i"es the e(ample of a hypothetical appearance of a man as if from no'here 'ho then "isappears into nothin$ness+ ,his occ rrence& "isconnecte" from a linear chronolo$ical pro$ression of e-ents 'o l" si$nal that the percei-er is in a "ream& as the man/s presence an" absence are not acco nte" for by a lin) bet'een past an" present+ ,here is not a connection in the perception of the man/s presence an" that of his absence+ ,his& #escartes 'rites& can only happen in "reams& 'here e(periences are not lin)e" by memory+ ,he test of 'a)in$ life& settin$ it apart from "ream life& 'o l" come in an attempt to lin) one/s e(perience in the present 'ith that of all one/s past e(periences& an attempt to lin) seemin$ly le$itimate sensory perceptions to all one/s past perceptions contin o sly 2Descartes 9"3+ #escartes presents this test& if performe" once informe" 'ith the best * "$ments of the intellect an" most thoro $h an" seemin$ly correct $ro p of sense perceptions& as a 0metic lo s test1 2#bid+3 'hich is not reasonable to perform all the time+ For this reason mista)es may still be ma"e re$ar"in$ perception+ For #escartes/s pro*ect as a 'hole& the final ren nciation of the possibility that life is a "ream is necessary to establish the e(ternal 'orl"+ ,he senses may be 'ron$ occasionally& an" remain lar$ely reliable& b t if a "ream 'orl" 'ere in"iscernible from a real 'orl"& ob*ects co l" not be establishe"+ 6ll beliefs informe" by sensory e(perience 'o l" be n"ermine"& lea-in$ only the thin$ that thin)s& the self& as "eterminately

e(istent+ =-en the bo"y itself 'o l" be n"ermine" as bein$ "etermine"@ only the thin)in$ thin$ 'o l" remain+ ,he prominence of memory seems to pose problems to #escartes attempt to ma)e his "ream "o bts 0be "ismisse" as la $hable1 2Descartes 893+ .ne mi$ht propose the problem of a person 'ith amnesia& 'ho co l" not possibly connect the present to the past& an" so co l" not complete the test "efiniti-ely+ If they lac) the complete memory chronolo$y& they 'o l" be nable to "istin$ ish "reams from reality in #escartes/s acco nt+ Ho'e-er& this person 'o l" be rather li)e the person 'ith "ropsy& not "ispro-in$ the ar$ ment $i-en b t simply a sa" res lt of the fact that problems may arise from imperfection+ Still this reply 'o l" seem to n"ermine the "istinction bet'een min" an" bo"y& as memory 'o l" ha-e to be a fac lty of min"& 'hich nli)e the bo"y is not "i-isible+ ,o lose a part of the min" seems to be "i-i"in$ it& 'hich 'o l" n"ermine the claim that min" an" bo"y are "istinct& an" ma)e e-en min" "o btable+ 6n e(treme e(ample of constantly rene'e" amnesia 'o l" place an in"i-i" al in a perpet al present& ma)in$ "ream an" reality in"istin$ ishable& 'hile also n"erminin$ a central claim for the "istinction bet'een min" an" bo"y& a central claim for #escartes+ .ne mi$ht also ob*ect that memory mi$ht "ecei-e& an" that one mi$ht attrib te actions to one/s past 'hich are not one/s o'n& n"erminin$ the reliability of the memory test& as it 'o l" not be one/s history connecte" to perception+ ,his brin$s o t the ambi$ ity in #escartes/s acco nt& as he merely asserts that "reamers are nable to connect past an" present& yet a "reamer mi$ht create a fictional past to connect+ If it is the mere possibility of chronolo$ical memory connections 'hich establishes reality& this "reamer 'o l" be nable to ma)e the "istinction bet'een "ream an" reality& tho $h

#escartes/ mi$ht "eny that a "reamer has the capacity to create an ill sion of memory in that 'ay+