Descartes on the objective reality found as conceptual content in ideas.
Abstract Discussions of Descartes’s theory of objective reality (OR) found in ideas often begin by asking which ideas possess it. That formulation is potentially misleading
Abstract Descartes’s Third Meditation argument commits him to a striking asymmetry in the significance of objective reality rank: the objective-reality rank of an idea’s internal
Define and characterize what it means according to Descartes for X to have formal reality. According to Descartes, for something (X) to have formal reality
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Jani Sinokki develops a hybrid “third alternative” account of Descartes’s ideas and objective reality [in Ch. 3: Descartes’ Metaphysics of Thinking. PhD diss., University of
[NOTE: Words in magenta or blue underlined are clickable hyperlinks.] Abstract This post defends a negative answer to the title question. Cartesian sensations, at least secondary-quality sensations such as cold,
Introduction by Grok 4.3 (edited & modified) The sensation of cold raises a specific difficulty for Descartes’s account of objective reality. Although the sensation presents
[NOTE: Words in magenta or blue underlined are clickable hyperlinks.] Introduction by ChatGPT 5.4 Thinking This post argues for two connected claims about Descartes’s doctrine
. Corrected transcript below: Clarification: The transcript uses a simplified contrast between ideas that contain objective reality representational content (OR) and ideas that do not.
Introduction by Grok 4.3 (xAI, May 2026) A central ambition of Descartes’s Theory of Ideas (DTOI) is to provide a systematic account of how ideas
