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Analysis Of Rene Descartes 's Work Discourse On The Method Of A Machine

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Throughout his work Discourse on the Method, Rene Descartes discusses the things he believes to be true concerning thought. He discusses the things which he believes to be more perfect and the things which he believes to be less perfect (pt 2, para 1). When comparing the two, he eventually comes to the conclusion that things that are more perfect are constructed by fewer hands and have specific purpose (pt 2, para 1). He also introduces in the opening portion of his work that his opinion of good sense is the ability to judge rightly and to follow through with the judgments (pt. 1, para 1). He concludes his writing by explaining that he believes that thinking is a non-mechanistic action, and he makes several points to confirm this (pt. 5, para 10). Descartes makes claims that sometimes compare thinking to the workings of a machine. However, he is correct in saying that thinking is a non-mechanistic action. Because human beings’ thought processes are not mechanical, we must take care to use good sense in order to make right judgment. Descartes opens his Discourse by explaining that he believes that good sense, when fully developed, is the power to judge rightly (pt 1, para 1). He says that each individual has the same capacity for judgment, but differences arise based on the extent to which an individual is able to use their reason. In presenting these opinions, Descartes makes the point that it is not enough to have a good mind – the individual who possesses the good mind

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