Descartes is the pioneer of modern philosophy. His "I think‚ therefore I am" is the first principle and proposition of his philosophical system. His thoughts occupied an extremely important position in the whole history of philosophy. At first‚ Descartes wrote in Meditation‚ “The first such belief was that I had a face‚ hands‚ arms and the whole structure of bodily parts that corpses also have—I call it the body‚” which gives his first understanding to “I”‚ then he continues says‚ “The next belief
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DESCARTES VS. LOCKE: KNOWLEDGE AS VIEWED FROM A FRENCH AND AN ENGLISH PERSPECTIVE Randy Hoang Philosophy 205: Introduction to Philosophy April 17‚ 2016 Descartes vs. Locke: Knowledge as Viewed from a French and an English Perspective Last year‚ I completed Basic Training for the United States Army Reserve. I was compelled to join the Army since my father is a veteran and I had a strong desire to also serve my country. During the training‚ I learned about knowledge and knowledge’s
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and empiricism‚ dealing specifically with epistemology‚ or‚ the origin of knowledge. Two of the most famous philosophers of epistemology are rationalist Rene Descartes and empiricist David Hume. Rationalism is the idea that reason and logic are the foundation of knowledge. It states that awareness is instinctive‚ and that it cannot come from sources such as the senses. Rationalists theorize that people are all born with the foundations
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will argue that the clearest difference between Descartes and Nietzsche here is that whereas Descartes thought that ideas are passive‚ Nietzsche thought the opposite. Well‚ Descartes tries to prove the existence of God‚ which is the condition of establishing/ensuring an external world‚ including inter-subjectivity‚ in his view. God is a precondition of the innate ideas and connection with the surrounding world. There’s no doubt in the mind of Descartes that God exist. Hence‚ he is claiming that faith/religion
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“Wax Argument”: Rene Descartes was an extraordinary philosopher who introduced a new‚ obscure‚ way to understanding the difference between the mind and the body. Descartes’ argument seems to be directed to Aristotle‚ in order to counter Aristotle’s “sensory argument;” in which everything is a conclusion of the senses. Descartes uses the “wax argument” to distinguish between the mind and body‚ separating the mind into its own form. The use of wax allows Descartes to prove and make his point because
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Descartes’ vs. Hospers Knowledge is an acquaintance with facts‚ truths‚ or principles‚ as from study of investigation and a familiarity or conversance‚ as with a particular subject or branch of learning. (3) Many philosophers have different perspectives of knowledge. Descartes’ believes that the only thing absolutely known is that you exist because you think. However‚ Hospers believes that there are different forms of knowing that must be proven with evidence. Descartes’ believes that you
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The Role of God in the Meditations Descartes’ Meditations revolve around presenting the reader with arguments regarding existence. In his first meditation‚ he elucidates the idea that he was raised with numerous false beliefs‚ all of which he believes should be thrown out in order to reach a certain truth. A new foundation is brought about‚ as opposed to that of medieval times. The world that we apprehend through the sense‚ since senses lend themselves to doubt‚ is out of the window. The
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Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes blazoned the advent of a scientific civilization. Both men ridiculed earlier methods of seeking knowledge‚ that were once used in the academic traditions of the universities founded in the Middle Ages. Both men published between 1620 and 1640 and held to the belief that Medieval or Aristotelian methods were retrograding and worthless. Through their works they stressed that truth was something we find at the end‚ after a long process of investigation‚ experiment‚ or
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I applaud Descartes in actually establishing something (that is not nothing) in his second Meditation and think he is getting somewhere‚ however‚ I also feel that there remains a large hole in his logic and that he is perhaps not being quite as methodical and careful in the conclusions he draws from the cogito. The starting point is‚ of course‚ the projection of thought – the actual act of thinking and the way in which it defines and characterizes the human mind. To be as meticulous and scrupulous
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In Descartes’ First Meditation‚ why does he set about doubting all of his knowledge? What is he hoping to achieve? Descartes mentions that several years have passed since he first realized how numerous were the false opinions that he had once taken to be true. He notes that the subsequent opinions he built were suspect to doubt because of this. He says that he has gained his knowledge through senses or through the senses. The senses are sometimes deceptive‚ and it is prudent not to trust that which
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