Descartes was the first mathematician to use the notation where the letters at the beginning of the alphabet represent data and the letters at the end of the alphabet to represent variables or unknowns. Descartes’ understanding of algebra was deep. He stated that the number of distinct roots of an equation is equal to the degree of the equation. Descartes was willing to consider negative (he called them false roots) and imaginary roots. He developed a rule for determining the number of positive
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Rene Descartes was a rationalist‚ meaning he thought that reason alone‚ not sensation or experience‚ was the source to attaining knowledge about the eternal truths of the universe‚ such as mathematics‚ epistemology‚ metaphysics and the existence of God. He excluded physics from this list‚ admitting that knowledge of physics only comes through experience (Descartes). Regardless‚ his rationalistic epistemology made it so that Descartes could only accept the truth about something if it was based upon
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Enlightenment Rationalism and Romantic Subjectivism In the eighteenth century social theories had a huge impact on individuals within a society. Two social theories in particular came to be during radical times. The enlightenment rationalism theory was based on human reason and rational thought. The romantic subjectivism theory was based on the importance of individual freedom with an emphasis on the subjective mind and culture. These two social theories were both highly influential during their
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Rationalization of Failure Aesop’s short story "The Fox and the Grapes" tells of a fox failing to find a way to reach some grapes hanging high up on a vine. The story deals with the rationalization of the failure to attain a desired end. Rather than accept a personal failure by acknowledging our shortcomings or by unemotionally evaluating the circumstances that surrounded the failure‚ we rationalize and come up with an immediate excuse. We need to convince ourselves and everybody else who witnessed
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In the journal article “The Robustness of Authoritarianism in the Middle East‚ Exceptionalism in Comparative Perspective” by Eva Bellin is an article that is critically acclaimed. Eva Bellin tries to answer the question why the Middle East and North Africa is overwhelmingly Authoritarian and is resistant to the third wave of democrazation. The author finds that despite the MENA (Middle East and North Africa anagram) region not meeting the “prerequisites” of democracy‚ the region is able to use coercive
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As Is or Otherwise? Although both G. W. Leibniz and Thomas Aquinas were theists‚ they had significant differences in their understanding of God’s free ability to do other than what he chooses to do. Leibniz allows that God could have done otherwise‚ but only in a logical sense of possibility‚ because God‚ by his goodness and wisdom‚ would always choose the best possible world. Aquinas wisely disagrees with this and asserts that God‚ in order to be a first principle‚ must not have his actions determined
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Defends Rationalism Plato was a highly educated Athenian Philosopher. He lived from 428-348 B.C. Plato spent the early portion of his life as a disciple to Socrates‚ which undoubtedly helped shape his philosophical theories. One topic that he explored was epistemology. Epistemology is the area of philosophy that deals with questions concerning knowledge‚ and that considers various theories of knowledge (Lawhead 52). Plato had extremely distinct rationalistic viewpoints. Rationalism is the
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two types of enlightened thinking: Humanism and Rationalism. Through the discussion I was able to expand my understanding of Voltaire’s belief in the “power of reason to overcome traditional authority and embrace rational change”. Enlightenment philosophy is the understanding that we can collectively as a society make the world a better place. There are two types of enlightened thinking that are prevalent in Candide: rationalism and humanism. Rationalism is traditionally described as the “process of
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Rationalism vs Empiricism! The Greeks vs the Empiricists round 1…. FIGHT! The rationalist first jab is that there are significant ways in which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently in terms of sense experience. Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and knowledge (empiricist’s vs rationalists). The two are very distinct interesting schools of thought among others‚ and there is quite a significant difference when it comes to concepts and ideas
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The dispute between rationalism and empiricism concerns the extent to which we are dependent upon sense experience‚ and the doubt of everything in effort to gain knowledge. Philosophers have deepened our knowledge as to how we will approach the education of young children‚ whether it will be the rationalism or empiricism approach. John Locke was an empiricist because he believed our knowledge comes to us from experience‚ specifically the faculties of sensation and reflection. On the other hand‚ the
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