Rene Descartes Research Paper

Socrates is known as the father of Western Philosophy and Descartes is known as the father of Modern Philosophy. Both are key members in shaping the world today. Socrates taught us to question everything and about critical thinking. Descartes taught us that humans are thinkers and that true knowledge is acquired through reason. Their lessons have inspired many different people who have made a foot print in history. Even today, one can see their influence guiding our information. Socrates has taught the world a great deal of things. Even today, more than two thousand years later, people study his life and books for a glimpse of his wisdom. Among his many lessons, Socrates taught us about questioning everything. This was known as the Socratic
Method. The Socratic Method can be seen when the priestess of Delphi’s stated that there was no one wiser than Socrates in Greece. Socrates questioned the statement by saying that he knows nothing. To come to a conclusion on the priestess's statement, Socrates questioned other well known people who in his opinion were wise. After questioning those who he thought were wise, he made the conclusion that they were in fact not wise because they did not refuse to know everything. The act of asking other people questions to stimulate critical thinking and come to a conclusion is called the Socratic Method. Socrates also taught on fallacies. In Plato's dialogue, "Euthyphro", Socrates showed the fallacies in Euthyphro's thoughts on what piousness means. Socrates believed in the analysis of basic concepts so that one can have the true meaning. Socrates uses teaches us about conceptual analysis in "Euthyphro" as he asks Euthyphro what piousness means and all of his answers are fallacies. All the lessons Socrates taught lead to critical thinking. Critical thinking was Socrates' goal; his gift to society. He opened the minds of the young and inserted this seed of knowledge. With critical thinking, people began to question things that before seamed right in the world. When people doubt, new ideas take over. A generation of new thinkers emerged who questioned authority and had new thoughts of their own, thoughts that lead to a revolution in the way people understood things. Because of this gift, Socrates was arrested and sentenced to death. Although Socrates died, his Teachings lived on through his students who with their knew found knowledge changed the world into what it is today. Socrates' task was to educate the public on how to think. He wanted the public to question their own knowledge and to create thoughts of their own. In today's day in age, information get easily be acquired by simply watching TV, or going on google. However, the information may not always be reliable. Socrates taught us to question everything. To the our own research on the information we acquire,to ask others questions to stimulate new ideas, and to be careful with false information. His lessons are still valuable today and will continue to be valuable in future generations. Descartes' task was to confirm that all the knowledge that was know, was in fact true.
He wanted to restructure the branches of knowledge (literature, Oratory and Poetry, Mathematics, Theology, Philosophy, and Sciences) so that only knowledge that is absolutely certain can be used. In his search for true knowledge, Descartes used the method of doubt to separate the the knowledge that was without a doubt true from those who still needed certainty. Descartes rejected anything that could not be proven. He refused to accept knowledge through senses because they can deceive. for example, when some one is dreaming, their senses deceive them by making them think that the dream is real. Their senses made the person think that the dream was reality. He also refuses hasty judgment and prejudice because they are not facts. Furthermore, Descartes refuses perceptual knowledge because that too is unreliable. For example, as some one walks down a street and has a feeling that they are being followed, does not mean that the person is actually being followed. Although one might think that because Descartes believes only on what is proven, he would not believe in God, he is in fact a believer of God. He was able to prove that God exists through deductive proof. He stated that the idea of God itself is proof of God's existence. The idea of perfection had to have an origin, which is God the only perfect being; therefore God is real. The proving of God being real whether one believes him or not is not important, but the fact that he did as a human being is important. This meant that humans can prove anything if applying the correct methods. It identified humans as thinkers who used reason to determine the truth. Because of Descartes' philosophy, the branches of knowledge that we learn today are accurate. Humans determine what is true through reason and not through faith, senses, and perceptions. Mankind's knowledge goes only where truth is certain, eliminating doubt. All the branches
of knowledge today have a mathematical precision. In conclusion, Socrates and Descartes have both changed the world. without them, the world would be filled with false information and technology would most likely be decades behind. anything in the world today that was thought of through critical thinking an any advancements in any of the branches of knowledge would be inferior. Socrates' role in educating the public on critical thinking was a huge advancement in mankind's ability to advance. Descartes role in putting human beings as the leaders of knowledge allowed us to have the ability to solve complex problems and acquiring the truth.