Descartes here argues that error is possible when judgment is not confined
to clear and distinct matters
so the criterion of truth is clear and distinct ideas
the point is - isn't it - yes you can have clear and distinct ideas
but if there is no possibility of a clear and distinct idea being anything
other than true - that is if it is not possible that it could be false -
in fact you have no theory of truth -
clear and distinct ideas are true
why?
because clarity and distinctness are the criteria of truth
it is a circular argument
clarity and distinctness
are what?
characteristics of how an idea is held
how it is defined
is this anymore than definition?
isn't it the case that I may hold an entirely false idea - clearly and distinctly?
truth or falsity are not characteristics of definition
a statement is true or false depending on - not how it is formulated
or held - but rather on whether what it asserts is or is not the case -
that is the conditions under which it does or does not correspond
to how the world is
a statement can be true if asserted under one set of conditions -
false under another
its clarity and distinctness is not the issue -
such issues are to do with presentation - not truth
a statement can only be true if it can be false
we have no theory of truth from Descartes
