Abstract and Referential Ontology: Descartes Versus Spinoza on the Existence of God. The concept of God is central to the development of Cartesian and Spinozan philosophy. Although both philosophers employ an ontological argument for the existence and necessity of God the specific nature of God differs greatly with each account. While Descartes suggests a Judeo-Christian concept of God‚ Spinoza argues a more monistic deity similar to that of the Hindu tradition. The most significant difference
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infinite number of ways of examining love and religion but none of them can be taken as fact and none of them can be guaranteed as false. In this paper‚ I will examine the ways that Rene Descartes and Saint Augustine examine their lives and what they feel makes their life worth living. In the Meditations‚ Descartes attempts to doubt everything that is possible to doubt. He is uncertain of the existence of many things from God and himself. Then he goes on to start proving that things do exist by
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Hume asked‚ "what reason do we have in thinking the future will resemble the past?" It is reasonable to think that it will because there is no contradiction in supposing the future won’t resemble the past. But it is also true that is possible for the world to change dramatically and our previous experience would be completely useless in judging future experience. We want to say that past experiences have been a good predictor. We are compelled to do so and it is almost as if we can’t help ourselves
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Hume’s Problem Of Induction In A Treatise of Human Nature‚ Hume challenges the traditional theories of causality‚ the idea that one can make an observation about two events and infer a new claim concerning the conjunction of the first event and the “resulting” second event. Instead of accepting this notion of causality‚ Hume questions the certainty of matters of fact and more specifically induction. Hume states there are two distinct types of knowledge: relations of ideas and matters of fact
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Argumentative Essay: Paley vs. Hume and the existence of a higher being Criticism of religious theories and practices is clearly valid and necessary. After all‚ what caused Jesus’s crucifixion was likely his disapproval of the resistance against his practices and beliefs. Accordingly‚ religious criticism is certainly more effective if it is respectful rather than dismissiveness‚ as it has the potential to elicit meaningful dialogue. While some claim that we come from cells that evolved into organisms
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philosophical theory. Descartes rejects all the premises and holds innate into question. He withholds all the assumptions and only believes in things that can be proven. His goal in subjecting everything to methodical doubt is you don’t know it is true until you have the proof. Descartes begins by doubting his own existence and starts with the premise‚ “I think I am therefore I am”. He is not sure whether he exists or not but the fact that he is thinking is the proof that his mind exists. Descartes is Mind-Body
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Substance Esha Jain Descartes and Spinoza are both regarded as rationalists‚ and for good reason. There is quite a bit of similarity in the methodology used by both modern philosophers as they try to make sense of the world and establish what is true. Both philosophers have implemented an orderly way to construct their arguments as a way to seek the perfect‚ whole truth. One essential truth that both Descartes and Spinoza strive to understand is on the matter of substance. Descartes implores the possibility
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mathematician‚ René Descartes (1596-1650)‚ published Discourse on Method‚ Optics‚ Geometry‚ and Meteorology in which he maintains that he had established two universal criteria to distinguish animals and machines from humans‚ and thus those entities without souls from those with. His criteria are the entity must have the capacity for speech and act from knowledge. His justifications that machines do not meet these two criteria are sound; however‚ he fails to verify that animals do the same. Descartes’ argument
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Both Descartes and Berkeley had a thesis of mediate perception. These theses however‚ were not the same. The difference‚ you see‚ is in how they perceive physical objects. Descartes develops a somewhat realist view in his meditations while Berkeley argues that his non-realist perception can sufficiently account for anything a realist would be able to with their system of philosophy. Essentially‚ Berkeley states that what Descartes believes as corporeal is simply a false understanding of the ideas
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There are three standard ways in which we apply the word “know”: 1. I know who a person is‚ 2. I know how to do something‚ and 3. I know that something is the way it is. The third of the previously listed kinds of knowledge is the propositional case: “I know that” is followed by a proposition. For example‚ “I know that I am now typing up my précis”. Hospers discusses the propositional condition of knowledge. There are three essential components to propositional knowledge: truth‚ belief‚ and
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