Response to fellow classmate – Week 3 DQ 1 – Martha Grice
Response to fellow classmate – Week 3 DQ 1 – Martha Grice
Decartes went to great lengths to discern the difference between immediate perception of ideas and actual experiences. Descartes believed that entities that produced stimulation to the sense organs, produced representations in the mind of the object (Polkinghorne, 1994). Perceptions were explained as “little pictures” or images in the mind which were subject to error (Flage, 2014; Polkinghorne, 1994), whereas ideas can only be true if they represent an actual object (Flage, 2014). For example, pain is generally a representation of an injury to a part of one’s body. The sensation of pain can be attributed to a cut on the foot or a burn on the hand, a clear sensation or perception. However, amputees experience pain in their limbs that are missing that is much like the pain experienced in the limb prior to amputation. The sensation of pain is felt; however, it is neither a clear or distinct perception (Flage. 2014). Descartes considered very few entities as being actual experiences, outlining specificities such as size, shape, breadth, and length as necessary components. Even these entities could not be discerned subjectively to be considered actual experiences (Flage, 2014).
Please answer the above question with at least 150-250 words and using at least 1 reference. Reference needs to be from a peer reviewed article or journal and needs to be cited in APA 6th edition format. Also, of applicable, please provide www or doi website info for reference.
