1. 11th September 2013 P1 AS (Yr 12) Mr Jez Echevarría
Reason and Experience
11th September 2013 P1
AS (Yr 12)
Mr Jez Echevarría

2. Objectives
1) To gain a general understanding of the compulsory topic area of Reason and Experience
2) To begin to consider where ideas come from and consider whether all ideas are based on sense experience alone

3. Brief Course Outline AS (Yr12) Unit 1 - Introduction to Philosophy 1
AQA Philosophy AS and A2 – together they make a full A’ Level
Course Code 2170
AQA’s subject area website:
There are two units at AS and a further two units at A2
AS (Yr12)
Unit 1 - Introduction to Philosophy 1
Unit 2 - Introduction to Philosophy 2
A2 (Yr13)
Unit 3 - Key Themes in Philosophy
Unit 4 - Philosophical Problems

4. AS Unit 1: An Introduction to Philosophy 1
Unit code PHIL1
Content summary:
This unit explores the following themes:
Reason and Experience (Compulsory)
Why should I be governed?
Why should I be moral?
The idea of God
Persons
Assessment
50% of AS, 25% of A Level
Written paper, 1 hour 30 minutes, 90 marks
Candidates must answer the compulsory question on Reason and Experience and from one other theme

5. Reason and Experience Mind as “tabula rasa”
Discussion Question: Where do ideas come from?

6. Hume and Locke on ideas Empiricists
David Hume ( ) John Locke ( )
Scottish Philosopher English Philosopher
Empiricists

7. EMPIRICISM

8. The Tabula Rasa Approach
Tablua Rasa.ppt
The Tabula Rasa Approach
The case against innate ideas.

9. Tablua Rasa.ppt
Arguments against rationalism, a priori concepts and innate ideas will also be arguments in support of empiricism, the tabula rasa approach, and the claim that all our concepts are a posteriori. You must remember this in the exam!

10. There are no innate ideas …
Tablua Rasa.ppt
There are no innate ideas …
John Locke claimed that if we all had the innate capacity to reason, why can’t children and ‘idiots’ do so?
If we all had the innate idea of God, why does it differ between cultures, and why do some people seem not to have it at all?

11. Tablua Rasa.ppt
Tabula Rasa
Locke used the term ‘tabula rasa’ – usually translated as ‘blank slate’ but also as ‘blank tablet’ or ‘white paper’.
It is as if we are a blank canvas or white waiting for the senses to imprint upon us.

12. Tablua Rasa.ppt
Hume’s Empiricism
Hume claimed that ALL our concepts are a posteriori, and any complex idea can be broken down into simple ideas and traced to experience.
Take the idea of God. We have experienced father figures, wisdom, justice, etc., and we put these together to create the idea of the supreme being. It is not innate!

13. COM POUND TRANSPOSE T N E M D I M I N I S H
Tablua Rasa.ppt
We can create complex ideas in the following ways:
COM POUND
TRANSPOSE T N E M G A U D I M I N I S H

14. Tablua Rasa.ppt
So ideas of unicorns and golden mountains can easily be traced to experiences, as ALL IDEAS COPY EARLIER IMPRESSIONS. + =

15. Some problems with the tabula rasa approach.
Tablua Rasa.ppt
Some problems with the tabula rasa approach.
Some of our more abstract ideas are harder to trace to impressions.
What about the idea of justice? Where are the simple ideas that we have experienced?
Where is the mental ‘picture’ of this concept? It is harder to claim that this concept is not independent of the senses, and is somehow a priori.

16. The missing shade of blue. (introduced by Hume himself!)
Tablua Rasa.ppt
The missing shade of blue. (introduced by Hume himself!)
If a man has gone through life and experienced every shade of blue but one, he could form the idea of that shade if they were placed before him with the one shade missing.
???

17. Tablua Rasa.ppt
The senses can deceive.
If all our ideas are a posteriori, then how can any of them ever lead to truth, if the senses can deceive us?
If they can deceive us at times, how do we know they don’t always deceive?

18. Tablua Rasa.ppt
Synthesis - Leibniz
Leibniz was a rationalist, but recognised the importance of experience in revealing the innate concepts we have.
We have the predisposition to certain innate ideas, such as the principles of logic. But we may need experience to expose these concepts.

19. Tablua Rasa.ppt
He makes the analogy with a block of marble, with veins running through it. If these veins mark our the figure of Hercules, then that statue is contained within the marble already, even if it needs to be exposed.

20. ANY QUESTIONS?

21. What have I learnt today?
1) To gain a general understanding of the compulsory topic area of Reason and Experience
2) To begin to consider where ideas come from and consider whether all ideas are based on sense experience alone