Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.26362/20230103

No New Cartesian Circle

Xuanpu Zhuang orcid.org/0000-0003-4635-1925 ; Department of Philosophy, Bowling Green State University

Abstract

Michael Della Rocca states a new reading of Descartes’ Fourth Medita- tion, in which he claims that the reasoning for the veracity of clear and distinct ideas is circular. I argue that Della Rocca conflates two different kinds of necessity: ontic necessity and explanatory necessity. A is ontically necessary for B when B is true only when A is true. A is explanatorily necessary for B when B can be understood only when A is true. The claim that we should only assent to clear and distinct ideas is necessary for explaining the compatibility among this truth rule, a perfect God, and our fallibility, but not necessary for making the compatibility (and thus the truth rule) true. After distinguishing between two different kinds of necessity, we can see there is no such New Cartesian Circle.

Keywords

Cartesian Circle; explanatory necessity; the Fourth Meditation; New Cartesian Circle; ontic necessity

Hrčak ID:

304103

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/304103

Publication date:

14.6.2023.

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