In mediation 3 what does it mean to have the formal/inherent reality of things and the objective/representative reality of ideas?
Thanks,
Jenna
In Meditation 3 of René Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy," he introduces the concept of formal/inherent reality of things and objective/representative reality of ideas. To understand these concepts, we need to consider Descartes' distinction between two types of reality.
Formal/Inherent Reality: This refers to the existence or reality that things possess in themselves. It measures the degree of reality or being that an entity has independent of anything else. In other words, it determines the level of reality that something possesses by itself. For example, Descartes argues that humans and physical objects have a high degree of formal reality since they exist in the external world.
Objective/Representative Reality: This type of reality is not about the actual existence of things but rather pertains to the content or representation of ideas in our minds. Objective reality refers to the reality that an idea represents, rather than the reality of the idea itself. Ideas can represent things, qualities, properties, or anything else with a degree of reality in the formal sense. Descartes suggests that ideas have their own reality in the mind and represents things in the external world.
To relate these concepts, Descartes argues that the objective/representative reality of an idea must have an equal or greater degree of reality than its cause. That is, an idea representing something external to the mind (such as physical objects) must have at least as much formal/inherent reality as its object. He posits that ideas with a higher degree of reality cannot be the cause of ideas with a lower degree of reality. In other words, the idea of something more real (like God or an external object) cannot be the result of something less real (like our own thoughts or imagination).
This distinction helps Descartes in his quest for certainty and understanding the nature of reality. He aims to determine whether there are any reliable foundations for knowledge that cannot be doubted. By analyzing formal/inherent reality and objective/representative reality, Descartes aims to establish a framework to discern true knowledge from mere illusion or deception.