Why is it significant for philosophy or human knowledge more generally?

Reconstruction of the argument
Motivation and Context: Why is the argument important? What role does it play in Descartes’ overall project in the Meditations as a whole? Why is it significant for philosophy or human knowledge more generally?
Logical Analysis:
Identify the major conclusion of the selected passage.
Explain the inferences Descartes makes to get there. ***You may need to consider things Descartes says outside the context of the passage itself here to fully explain Descartes’ reasoning! Ask yourself which conclusions Descartes makes in earlier parts of the text that push him to say the things he says in the part you are considering.
Textual Support: You must use at least three quotations from the text to support your reconstruction. Cite these quotations with page numbers like so:

Descartes says, “For this reason alone the entire class of causes which people customarily derive from a thing’s “end,” I judge to be utterly useless in physics” (p.37).

For more guidance on this part, see the handout on Argument Reconstruction.

Critical Analysis:
Step 1: Pose at least two objections to the argument
Be sure to take a few sentences to explain why these objections speak against the Descartes’s view and what the force of the objection is.
These objections may come from things Descartes himself says, or you may make them up on your own. Do not do outside research. If you have trouble generating objections, please see me or G.A. Raley in office hours.
Step 2: Explain how Descartes or someone supporting him might reply to the objections.
Even if you agree with the objection, do your best to think about how Descartes might use the resources of his theory to respond to the objections. In other words, think about how the philosopher would respond to your objections.

Final evaluation:
Decide whether the objections suffice to undermine the original argument, or whether the replies were sufficient. That is, explain whether you think those objections can be overcome or not. Your final evaluation is your thesis for this essay.
There are three basic possibilities:
Does the philosopher’s original argument stand firm against the objections?
If so, state how the Descartes’ theory can reply to the objections.
Do the objections sway you to the other side?
Then explain why the Descartes’ theory cannot withstand the pressure of the objections you’ve stated.
Perhaps the objections suggest a modified version of the philosopher’s argument that can withstand the objection.
In that case, explain what modifications you would make, and tell your reader in detail how these modifications make the argument immune to the original objection.

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