1. What for Descartes is the first indubitable truth and why? Descartes discovered his first indubitable truth is that he‚ himself‚ did exist. He used his methods of doubt to discount anything he thought he knew previously. He doubted everything his senses had told him because‚ according to Descartes‚ what he may have seen or heard might not necessarily be real. He also was not convinced that what he did in his waking life could have been while he was dreaming and‚ therefore‚ might also be false
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Epistemology is the study of how we acquire knowledge and justify our beliefs. Descartes promoted a rationalist epistemology through his masterwork Meditations on First Philosophy (1641)‚ which were designed to build a theory of knowledge from the ground up. Rationalism states that knowledge is acquired through the use of reason. In contrast‚ John Locke promoted empiricist epistemology through his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Empiricism is any view which bases our knowledge‚ or the materials
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About a Boy and Meditation 17 both focus around the idea that in reality‚ “no man is an island” (About a Boy). In Meditation 17‚ the author John Donne writes about how all people are connected through the church so that what happens to one person affects every person. He feels a loss at each man that dies because it impacts him as well because he is not an island. In About a Boy‚ Will tries to go through life thinking only about himself and staying on his own island. But then he meets a young boy
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DONNE’S VIEW OF DEATH IN MEDITATION XVII The stylistic features filled with nature imagery and florid ornament during the Elizabethan Age disappeared after the Queen’s death and the poems during the reigns of James I and Charles I came to be concentrated on colloquial and plain style. The main difference was that poetry was no longer romantic. Poets like John Donne became to be known as ‘metaphysical poets’. The term ‘metaphysical’ refers to the use of intellectual and theological concepts in
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Outline Rene Descartes I. All about Rene Descartes A. Rene Descartes is born B. Family C. Education D. Interests & Hobbies E. Passing F. Why he was important G. Philosophical Work‚ Scientific Discoveries‚ & Mathematical Findings II. Rene Descartes is born 1. When & where he was born A. March 31‚ 1596 B. La Haye en Touraine‚ Touraine (present-day Descartes‚ Indre-et-Loire)‚ France C. Parents: Jeanne Brochard (mother)‚ Joachim (father) D. Father
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the works or David Hume and René Descartes come into play. Hume was a Scottish philosopher whose epistemological work revolved around the idea that our senses relay the truth to us. Descartes believed did not trust
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DESCARTES’ GOD Do we need a watchmaker god or the Christian God and how is it related to living a good life? The subject of god has always fascinated me‚ and I love to read how others interpret their personal gods. It is also interesting to see how people prioritize their gods in their life and what importance they give their gods. I believe that the Christian God is the true God and exactly what we need to live a good life. We need to have a goal and an end‚ which is eternal happiness with
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Discourse on the Method is Descartes’ attempt to explain his method of reasoning through even the most difficult of problems. He illustrates the development of this method through brief autobiographical sketches interspersed with philosophical arguments. Part 1 contains "various considerations concerning the sciences." First‚ all people possess "good sense‚" the ability to distinguish truth from fiction. Therefore‚ it is not a lack of ability that obstructs people but their failure to follow the
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In Descartes’ First Meditation‚ Descartes reasons through the idea of whether he is dreaming or not‚ based off his Criterion of Doubt. Descartes claims that you know something only if you have no reason to doubt it. Descartes beliefs are grounded in a priori truths‚ and he will not take knowledge from experience into consideration when defining knowledge. Descartes considers that the only thing he can know for sure‚ is that he exists. Even though he exists as some form of thinking thing‚ he would
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No Man is an Island (Page 490 Question 5) In the poem Meditation 17‚ by John Donne‚ is describes death and new beginnings. Writers in Donne’s day often depended on the support of Patrons‚ wealthy supporters of the arts. The young Donne did not publish his poems‚ most of them were printed only after his death. Instead‚ they were circulated among a select literary audience that included Patrons such as the countess of Bedford. After Donne was dismissed from his position with Sir Thomas Egerton‚ he
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