Descartes Reason Of Knowledge - 1675 Words

Descartes Reasons of Knowledge It was once said by Renà © Descartes that, â€Å"if you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.† In other words, when one wants to pursue the knowledge of this world, one must be able to question possibilities before coming to a conclusion. Throughout the Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes discusses his thoughts in a coherent manner. He strongly states that ‘true knowledge’ is gained through reasoning. On the opposing side, a philosopher known as David Hume, believes that all knowledge cannot exist without emotion. However, an individual’s feelings can distort their understandings of reality. While humans are blessed with†¦show more content†¦Human beings learn more about themselves through the use of their mind when they rationalize their thoughts. For instance, if a person drops their wallet in front of a stranger without any recollection and continues walking, there are many reactions the bystander can act out. One possibility is that the bystander will witness the act and walk away. This person gains the knowledge that they are inconsiderate, uncaring and lack empathy. Another reaction of the bystander could be to steal the wallet and quickly leave the scene. This person gains the knowledge that they are dishonest and lack moral values. The final scenario involves the bystander picking up the wallet and returning it to the rightful owner. This person gains the knowledge that they are a compassionate being, that abides by the laws of their society. Descartes stresses the importance of where knowledge is found. He emphasizes that knowledge does not rely on a person’s senses but rather applying the ability to reason their thoughts. Descartes further explains that people cannot fully rely on their senses because those senses are flawed when attempting to describe the ultimate truth. Therefore, when a person relies on their senses to describe something, it is a different answer when compared to someone else’s senses. If people follow this theory of following their senses only, then there will be no gain of discovering theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Descartes vs Locke1257 Words   |  6 PagesThe study of knowledge, or epistemology, contains theoretical methods in which information is learned. Of these methods, there are two that are most widely accepted. Rationalism and empiricism are also the most widely debated methods of knowledge. Rationalism claims that a priori processes and intuition gain knowledge. Rationalism c laims that knowledge is innate; but that it varies among humans. At the other end of the spectrum, empiricism claims that knowledge is gained largely by experience, observationRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy807 Words   |  4 PagesRuhl Professor Copley Philosophy 1000C 4 May 2015 Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes was the first great philosopher of the modern era, He had a new approach which was focused on scientific and mathematical truths. Descartes came to reject the scholastic tradition, one of which he was educated, due to his pursuit of mathematical and scientific truth. Much of Descartes work was done to secure advancement of human knowledge through the use of the natural sciences. His radicalRead MoreMontaigne and Descartes on Doubting1571 Words   |  7 PagesMontaigne and Descartes Montaigne and Descartes both made use of a philosophical method that focused on the use of doubt to make discoveries about themselves and the world around them. However, they doubted different things. 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Many philosophers attempt to satisfy them, such as Renà © Descartes. Descartes was a modern philosopher and rationalist, or an advocate of â€Å"the view that through unaided reason we can come to know what the world is like† (792). Descartes attempts to seal conclusions on such questions by using his mathematical knowledge and relating them to philosophy. Traces of such views can be found in many famous works that include the Meditations and Discourse on the Method. Descartes was a firmRead MoreQuestions On All Men By Nature Desire Knowledge1463 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction a) â€Å"All men by nature desire knowledge.† –Aristotle b) According to (cite) knowledge is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. c) There are many views on knowledge, everyone thinks of knowledge in their own perspective. Some people think of it as what you learn and some think of it as the science of what you already know. The thing is, is that there are several ways to look at knowledge but the only definition that is correctRead MoreDescartes Doubt And Crime1317 Words   |  6 Pages Descartes Re-visited Doubt and Crime Kirsten Besheer, in â€Å"Descartes’ Doubts: Physiology and the First Meditation,† makes the caution that â€Å"many commentators dismiss the First Meditation with a scant summary usually involving key words like ‘dreams’ and ‘doubt.’ This being the case, I am not surprised that the rest of the Meditations have remained opaque to them†(55). What Besheer is warning against, specifically, is an uncritical examination of Descartes. For, as the years continue to distant theRead MoreDescartes Epistemology1696 Words   |  7 Pages------------------------------------------------- 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 â€Å"Cogito, Ergo Sum† concept (found in the Meditations), and why he used it [the cogito concept] as a foundation when building his structure of knowledge. After explaining the conceptRead MoreArguments For The Existence Of God1137 Words   |  5 Pagespersonal experience, and some on philosophy. Descartes offered two arguments towards the existence of God: an informal proof in the third meditation and the ontological proof in the fifth meditation. Descartes believed that with the employment of a rational method of inquiry which applied some of the methods of analytic geometry to the study of philosophy, our ability to attain certainty and validity about our knowledge would be greatly increased. For Descartes to include a second and distinct proof forRead MoreUnderstanding the Self- a Comparison of Descartes and Augustine1593 Words   |  7 PagesDescartes and Augustine, in their respective examinations of the mind and God, come to the conclusion that the true understanding of all things derives from the withdrawal of the self from foreign influence and the necessity to look inward. Although each thinker’s journey or course of understanding was different, and at times rather contrasting, their ultimate realizations about knowledge are very coherent. Doubt is one of the primary focuses and a central aspect in examining the self for both Descartes