"Several years have now passed since I first realized how numerous were the false opinions that in my youth I had taken to be true‚ and thus how doubtful were all those I had subsequently built upon them." (pp.1) The First Meditation opens with Renee Descartes reflecting on all the things that he has been mistaken about‚ and all his beliefs that were built on those false ones. As a result‚ he somehow feels the need to reexamine everything he has believed in the past‚ and has set aside some time
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perfect‚ self-caused being‚ or god. As Antoine Arnauld pointed out in an Objection published along with the Meditations themselves‚ there is a problem with this reasoning. Since Descartes will use the existence (and veracity) of god to prove the reliability of clear and distinct ideas in Meditation Four‚ his use of clear and distinct ideas to prove the existence of god in Meditation Three is an example of circular reasoning. Descartes replied that his argument is not circular because intuitive
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beauty and bounty. Sir Walter Relegh’s poem‚ "The Nymph’s Reply‚"� presents an overly pessimistic view of love. The nymph describes the Shepherd’s love as unstable and changing just as nature is; she believes that they both conclude in death and decay. John Donne’s poem‚ "The Baite‚"� presents an overly optimistic view of love. The lover in the poem is desperately falling in love with a woman‚ whom he describe is the bait that attracts him. These three poems use nature to express their different view
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you have seen poets writing about feelings in an artistic and effective way. John Donne indeed uses poetry as a vehicle for expressing emotions towards a variety of subject matter‚ however particularly with reference to his lover‚ to God and to death. Donne documents his confidence in his emotions towards his lover in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”. Moreover ‚ post his wife’s death‚ in “Holy Sonnet X” Donne cements his assuredness of emotions toward death in verse. Conversely to Donne’s
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Jacob Gray – Rene Descartes’ “Meditations on First Philosophy” Paper Rene Descartes started his first meditation with a simple question: “What can be called into doubt?” Descartes explains that many of his preconceived notions had been proven false and it made him question many things that he had found to be true in life. Instead of dismantling every belief or fact he thought he knew to be true‚ he started by undermining his own beliefs by questioning their foundations. The question remains‚ however
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The Matrix‚ The Cave And Meditations PHIL 201 John L. Hill II Liberty University John Hill Professor Allyn Kyes Philosophy 201 October 18‚ 2012 The Matrix‚ The Cave And Meditations Thesis: There are many similarities in the Matrix ( Wachowski‚ Andy‚ and Lana Wachowski 1999 )‚ The Allegory of the Cave ( Plato ) and Meditation I of The Things of Which We May Doubt ( Decartes‚ 1641 ). It appears as you take a close look at the Matrix that it is a retelling of “The
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This week we had to read Rene Descartes FIRST MEDITATION: On what can be called into doubt. I really enjoyed this reading because it made me think a lot and dig deeper into what he was writing about and try to connect it with real life. After reading Descartes outside of class we a lot about dreams‚ our senses‚ being deceived‚ trust and doubting out beliefs. I found this reading very interesting because almost everyone who reads it can relate to it some way or another. The topic I felt had the most
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Phillip Hassoun English 1102 Dr.Thomason 03/14/12 Analysis: The Flea‚ By: John Donne Most of John Donne’s work during his time frame was usually seen as being vulgar or too much‚ usually for the sexual themes he put behind them. But being the witty and clever author John Donne was‚ it is by no surprise that most people raise their eye brows after reading his poem titled The Flea. In the poem‚ he makes the unusual connection between a flea and sex between couples. Using a metaphysical conceit
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I applaud Descartes in actually establishing something (that is not nothing) in his second Meditation and think he is getting somewhere‚ however‚ I also feel that there remains a large hole in his logic and that he is perhaps not being quite as methodical and careful in the conclusions he draws from the cogito. The starting point is‚ of course‚ the projection of thought – the actual act of thinking and the way in which it defines and characterizes the human mind. To be as meticulous and scrupulous
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theories were offered. John Donne (1572-1631 A.C.E.) is a poet best known for his use of metaphysical conceits . His poetry and prose reflect a deep knowledge and understanding of theology‚ astronomy‚ law and alchemy (The Norton Anthology of English Literature‚ 1233). During Donne’s lifetime‚ the Copernican Revolution erupted around him -- he refers to both the old and the emerging astronomy theories: the Ptolemaic vs. the Copernican universe. In his poetry especially‚ Donne uses grandiose expression
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