Rene

Even though Aristotle was taught by Plato and admired his philosophical work, they both approached topics differently. Plato emphasizes the world of idea and knowledge. He observed four things; the physical world was constantly in a state of change and motion, planets moving eternally, and change or motion is always caused by something. Plato believed in a separate/perfect existence whose sole purpose was to house knowledge. He thought there is something beyond our own knowledge and existence.

Cartesian rationalism was founded by Rene Descartes who was a philosopher born 1596-1650. He is a metaphysical realist. The Cartesian rationalism deals with skepticism, methodic doubt and methodological skepticism. “Rationalism is the idea that real knowledge can only be known through reason.” (Frame, 2014) Descartes believes that the mind is independent of the body. The mind just like the soul lives on as the body perishes. He also believed that the only way knowledge is reliable is by understanding

In his work Meditations on First Philosophy, published in 1641, René Descartes sets out to establish a set of indubitable truths for the sciences. He begins by discarding all of his beliefs, then works to rebuild his beliefs based on careful thought. Descartes clearly states this goal, saying in the First Meditation, “I will work my way up… I will accomplish this by putting aside everything that admits of the least doubt” (I, 17). He is able to establish his own existence, but struggles to move beyond

Many ancient philosophers, including Plato, explored metaphysics in relation to reality before Descartes’s in-depth questioning of the subject. However, Descartes’s views on mind/body dualism differ greatly from Plato’s. As Marleen Rozemond (author of Descartes's Dualism) points out, Plato believes that the body is simply a vessel for the soul to use, while Descartes provides proof that the body and soul are interconnected (172). One does not simply use the other; though they are separate, the mind

Allow me to begin this paper with a quick story. Going into this semester, I knew absolutely nothing about philosophy, and I thought that with this class being a Gen Ed, that it was going to be a cakewalk on my way to just getting it out of the way. I quickly learned how wrong that my mind frame going into the class, as it was quickly finding itself digging me a deep hole to crawl into, grade wise. I never realized how deep the roots of philosophy ran, from government to art. This class has opened

On January 12th, 2010, the small Caribbean nation of Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. This was the worst earthquake to hit the region in over two centuries (BBC News). More than fifty aftershocks measuring over 4.5 followed within the next two weeks. The earthquakes left Haiti in shambles and exacerbated their conditions. There were 3.5 million people affected and over 220 thousand killed (Disasters Emergency Committee). Major damage was caused at the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince

In the seventeenth century Rene Descartes once said, "I think therefore I am.” The topic of human presence is thought to be a standout amongst the most fascinating and conflicting in contemporary philosophy. The phrase spoken by the French philosopher could be deciphered in various ways and numerous thinkers were proposed to answer the question: How would I be able to realize that I exist? In the event that there is one idea, which has been under steady assault by analysts and philosophers in the

A ‘virtual community’ is a type of imagined community and is a difficult concept to define; the ambiguous nature of this concept is highlighted by the many definitions created by researchers. A Virtual Community is when “Individuals communicate and form a relationship with each other in a computer mediated space with the use of technology". Anthropologists undergo the practice of participation observation on the internet , allowing them to experience a virtual community; this shapes their understanding

Essay Choice 1 In the First Meditation, Descartes gives us the Evil Demon Hypothesis which serves to give him reason to doubt the existence of everything he perceives and believes. He describes a ‘malicious demon of the utmost power and cunning’ that has the sole purpose of deceiving Descartes (Descartes, 2010: 17). I will argue that his hypothesis has proven to be a strong one because only the cogito provides a way for us to frustrate or trick the evil demon. The Evil Demon Hypothesis is an

METAPHYSICS: ONTOLOGY: DUALISM VS. MATERIALISM The original idea of the word 'philosophy ' was a 'love of wisdom ' (Cowan 2). Philosophy is meant to explore the 'big questions ' and try to find answers as best we can in the time we have been given. One of the areas of study in philosophy is metaphysics, which deals in the ideas of the nature of reality. "We look at the world, and we assume that it is the way it appears to be. It is not." (Carreira 7). There is much to reality that can be discussed