In Descartes' method of radical doubt, what is the first step he takes?

Substance dualism vs Materialism
Substance dualism: the view that mind and body are two distinct kinds of thing. Materialism: the view that a person is wholly physical.
Resurrection vs Immortality of the soul
Resurrection: survival through God restoring the whole person, body included. Immortality of the soul: survival of a non-physical soul that never dies.
Reincarnation vs Rebirth
Reincarnation: the passing of the same enduring self into a new body. Rebirth: the arising of a new life causally continuous with the last but with no enduring self.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the soul understood to be in philosophical discussions of self and death?
Model answer
The immaterial, non-physical aspect of a person that constitutes their essential self, distinct from the physical body.
2
In Descartes' method of radical doubt, what is the first step he takes?
Model answer
He applies systematic doubt to all his beliefs, questioning everything that could possibly be false.
3
What does Descartes recognise about the physical body when applying his method of doubt?
Model answer
He recognises that the existence of the physical body can be doubted, since sensory experiences could be deceptive.
4
Why does Descartes conclude that the act of doubting itself cannot be doubted?
Model answer
Because the very process of doubting requires thinking, and one cannot doubt without engaging in thought.
5
What famous conclusion does Descartes reach through his method of radical doubt?
Model answer
'I think, therefore I am' (cogito ergo sum), the certainty that he exists as a thinking thing.
6
What distinction does Descartes infer from his cogito argument about the nature of mind and matter?
Model answer
He infers that the thinking thing (res cogitans) is distinct from extended matter (res extensa).

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AExclusivism holds salvation is available only to Christians.

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Self and Life After Death revision questions

What does Self and Life After Death cover in AQA A-Level Religious Studies?: 2 subtopics: descartes, the soul and radical doubt and personal identity and survival. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Self and Life After Death organised?: By the AQA 7062 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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