Plato/Descartes Reading Response In both Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Descartes’ The Fourth Meditation‚ they discuss truth; what it is‚ where it comes from and how to differentiate it from falsehood and error. Plato’s paper is more metaphorical and uses imagery to paint a picture of his idea of truth‚ while Descartes’ is more straight forward‚ and uses examples. These papers are written very differently but are‚ at the same time‚ very similar when it comes to content. Although it’s not word
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similarity between the movie The Matrix‚ the cave analogy of Plato‚ and Descartes’ Meditation‚ is that all of these works doubt the reality of the world around us and call into question the validity of our sense perceptions. “Let us suppose‚” says Descartes‚ “that we are dreaming‚ and that all these particulars – namely‚ the opening of the eyes‚ the motion of the head‚ the forth-putting of the hands – are merely illusions” (Descartes‚ 1641‚ Meditations on First Philosophy). Likewise Plato proposed an
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Descartes is totally right to be suspicious about ’the given’ before accepting it as the establishment of learning‚ however‚ in the meantime‚ it is not the bravest thought to be distrustful about everything. Throughout first Meditation‚ Descartes disposes of all his past obtained opinion‚ which from his sense is highly dubious. (Descartes‚ Meditations I‚ pg.1‚para. 1) Accordingly‚ he chooses to rebuild his insight from a specific ground and totally believe in things that are indubitable. (Descartes
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Latin "Cogito‚ ergo sum" [I think‚ therefore I am] The first piece of Descartes Meditation‚ Descartes attempts to review the beliefs he has been taught in order to establish truth in science. He forms a sceptical belief or hypotheses about everything in the physical world. As a result he suspends his judgement on his previously held beliefs. In the second Meditation‚ Descartes expands theory on the nature of human mind’‚ Descartes questions his identity‚ the eternal I’‚ and introduces a theory of
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Epistemology ------------------------------------------------- Carefully explain Descartes’ cogito and his attempt to build his knowledge structure from the ground up. (Be as succinct as possible.) Does Descartes succeed or fail in that attempt? Justify your answer in full. Descartes’ Epistemology This essay attempts to explain Descartes’ epistemology of his knowledge‚ his “Cogito‚ Ergo Sum” concept (found in the Meditations)‚ and why he used it [the cogito concept] as a foundation when building
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In this paper‚ I will dissect Descartes current and former beliefs about his-self and the world. I will then argue his belief that he is merely “a thing that thinks” and why that is a flawed belief. Descartes once thought of himself as a man. He was a body that could taste‚ smell‚ see‚ move‚ and most of all; perceive. To achieve his goal of obtaining true knowledge‚ however‚ Descartes decided to rid his mind of all doubt and trust only reason. Descartes purports that most of his knowledge was
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While the great philosophical distinction between mind and body in western thought can be traced to the Greeks‚ it is to the seminal work of René Descartes (1596-1650)‚ French mathematician‚ philosopher‚ and physiologist‚ that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship (Wozniak). As a key figure in the Scientific Revolution‚ Rene Descartes was one of the most intelligent men in his era. With his numerous writings and works‚ he allowed us to understand modern philosophy‚ the human
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Rene Descartes Rene Descartes was born March 31‚ 1596 in La Haye‚ Touraine. Descartes was the son of a minor nobleman and belonged to a family that had produced a number of learned men. At the age of eight‚ he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La Fleche in Anjou‚ where he remained for eight years. Besides the usual classical studies‚ he received instruction in math and in Scholastic philosophy. Roman Catholicism exerted a strong influence on Descartes throughout his life. Upon graduation
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caused many renowned philosophers to rethink their entire outlook on life. Rene Descartes stated this famous phrase and changed the course of Philosophy in doing so. Descartes was born in 1596 in France‚ which was time when life was drastically changing; Columbus had discovered the new world‚ the feudal system had broken down‚ and the Scientific Revolution was in full force. Philosophers of the time‚ such as Descartes‚ were set on finding out what now actually existed and what was actually true
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Meditations Study Questions 1. Explain Descartes’ method of doubt. What is Descartes purpose in exercising this method? Descartes’ method of doubt is a method of being skeptical about the truth of beliefs. It aims to find things that cannot be doubted 2. Why can’t Descartes be certain about beliefs he acquires through the evidence of the senses? The reason why Descartes cannot be certain of beliefs he’s obtained through his senses is because senses might easily be deceived by someone else
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