1) discussion The very first thing that Descartes thinks he can prove with certainty is his own existence (“I think therefore I am” in the famous paraphrase). Do you think anything else can be proven with the same degree of certainty? If not, does this cast all of our other knowledge?
2) discussion Book V of the Republic, Socrates says “Socrates: “What about someone who believes in beautiful things, but does not believe in the beautiful itself, and would not be able to follow anyone who tried to lead him to the knowledge of it? Do you think he is living in a dream, or is he awake? Just consider. Isn’t it dreaming to think whether asleep or awake – that a likeness is not a likeness but rather the thing itself that it is like?” (Plato 2004, 169-170 [476c]).
In other words, if there are things that we call beautiful, there must be some “form” of beauty (some fixed definition or essence of it). If there weren’t a form of beauty, we would never be entitled to call something beautiful. Do you think this is true? Socrates’ example is obviously a difficult one since it seems that there are so many differing views about what is or is not beautiful.to doubt?