1. A Brief Look at Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was a brilliant man who came up with many inventions and thoughts to put in people's minds and let them ponder off and question
life in itself. In one of the many things Rene Descartes created, he wrote a book called Discourse on the Method and Meditations. Descartes discusses
how there are two main proofs of God's existence, the casual argument in meditation three and the ontological argument in meditation five. There
are a few differences between these two meditations and one is more convincing of the other, but Descartes needed these two proofs to prove a
certain point. Also, he shares in meditation four how human error is possible even though a perfect God created humans. Although, those are
points that Descartes spent a lot of time thinking about and attempting to prove, they are not really convincing points that can be believed. In the
third meditation, Descartes discusses how God does in fact exists and is perfect. It is definitely more of a cosmological argument that is more so
for the thinkers in the medieval times. Descartes claims "I think there for I am." (Descartes, p. 19) He claims that an evil mastermind is misleading
him, so he wants to prove that God exists. He believes of what an ideal being should be but that he could not come up with that idea on his own, and
it was ingrained by God. He exists because God put the ability in his thoughts to be able to think. God exists in the real world because if he only
existed in Descartes psyche, he
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2. Rene Descartes Research Paper
Rene Descartes was a French philosopher who was lived from the year's 1596 to1650. He was of the Jesuit background and was a devout Catholic.
He was trained as a lawyer and then believed that he could find knowledge from other people around the world, thus changing his vocation to
becoming a soldier in the army to do so. He then felt unfulfilled and believed that the knowledge that he was seeking was from within himself. He
asked himself questions like: how do we know things? What can we be certain about? This was the beginning of this method of doubt. In this essay I
am going to explain how Descartes explored doubt by taking things down it their simplest form.
Descartes believed that anything we can doubt, we treat as completely false. But ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
If we believe everything we see is false then what do we know to be true? Descartes goes on to review his own thoughts, who or what places these
thought into one's head? Is the deceiver God tricking Descartes into believing that these were his own thoughts? Finally the cogito was revealed. The
cogito is the phrase, "I think, therefore I am". It is the rational or thinking mind that all people have. It is the simplest form. If the body was discarded,
or manipulated the "thinking thing" would still be present. There is no other reason to believe that anything exists besides the mind. Our rational
mind is also our essence, what makes us human beings. Our life is filled with accidental qualities. These are things that can change but our essence
is forever. Descartes uses the example of wax. When we look at a piece of solid wax we can see things such as its color, its shape, smell and it's
other physical properties; these things are all achieved through the senses. If we take a flame to that same piece of wax and it starts to look
different, it is now a puddle, it probably smells different, it most likely looks different but it is the same wax from before. Our senses know it as two
different things but our minds know it is the same wax (67). Our mind are far better thinkers than our body. This is how we know thinking mind is
how we know we are truly
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3. Rene Descartes Perceptions
While reading the assigned articles for the first session of class, the works of several philosophers and academics came to mind, including Rene
Descartes and Thomas Kuhn. Descartes' warning to doubt everything is one of the overarching themes that stood out in the articles. Descartes believed
that not only personal perceptions can be deceptive, inaccurate, or skewed, but also the testimony of others has potential to be erroneous. Both Thelin
and Eisenmann provide real world examples of why the existing history of higher education should be looked at with a critical eye, as well as provide
suggestions and recommendations about investigating and re–evaluating existing historical higher education data. By doubting everything, using
modern tools... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Historians can feel pressured to be creative in their interpretation of data in order to present negative information in a positive light. This is not a
situation that is specific to higher education historians, as it plagues many researchers, journalists, business leaders, and politicians. Eisenmann reports
that researchers should take a strong stance regarding their findings. Ultimately, the historian's responsibility is to report accurately, not to be someone
in the public relations arena. However, early historians may have been under greater pressure, and when re–investigating their findings it is important
to put the findings in a historical context and also understand the politics of that
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5. Rene Descartes : The Father Of God
A skeptic as defined by philosopher Jonathan Meyer, is "a person who believes that we can never be absolutely sure what the world is like."
Someone who questions everything. For example, they may often think thoughts like, "what is the origin of the universe?", "where does
happiness come from?", "is the government hiding aliens from us?", "are we really living or are we dreaming?". One of the most influential
skeptics is a philosopher from the 17th century named, Rene Descartes. Descartes is widely known as the father of modern philosophy. He is the
one that created the term "cogito, ergo sum", or "I think, therefore I am." This term has become one of the base lines for western philosophy.
Descartes was most well known for his method of doubt that he established. He decided that he would revisit all of his beliefs, and if he could not
completely prove them he would scrap them. His reasoning behind this was, there are so many things that he was always told growing up, or
learned from life itself that he found he didn't know the reasoning behind. He simply believed these ideas because they were told to him. This is
very common, for example your parents saying that if you pee in a pool, a dark blue dye will surround you, or that cracking your knuckles will give
you arthritis. Descartes' beliefs that he was targeting go a bit deeper than these; however, many people believe these things as a kid simply because
someone told them so. Descartes discovered many controversial
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6. Rene Descartes Research Paper
Rene Descartes most known for his saying "I think, therefore I am.", can be described as a French mathematician, scientist, and a philosopher. He
was born in France on March 31, 1596 and he died in Stockholm, Sweden on February 11, 1650. His parents were Jeanne Brochard and Joachim
Descartes. His mother died before Descartes' first birthday. His father was a council member who had no time for his family and therefore sent
Descartes and his siblings to live with their grandmother (Smith). However, Descartes' father was obsessed with his children receiving a thorough
education; therefore, he sent Rene Descartes to a boarding school at the Jesuit college of Henry IV when Descartes was eight years old. It has been
speculated that while Rene Descartes... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It is suggested that this is where Descartes got his start in mathematics. This is believed because the division that Descartes was thought to be a part of
engaged in applied mathematics. This means that the division would have designed an assortment of structures and machines aimed at protecting and
assisting the soldiers in battle. In addition to being part of the division that focused on applied mathematics and engineering, Descartes was stationed
at Breta. This army base also doubled as a military academy for noblemen of the country. Therefore, Descartes could better his education and
knowledge in the mathematical field while he was serving in the army. Descartes was fond of working in the mathematical field. He is quoted saying "I
took pleasure, above all, in mathematics, because of the certainty and the absoluteness of its reasons; but I had not yet discovered its true use... I was
astonished that with such solid foundations nothing more eminent had ever been built upon them" (Rene
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8. Rene Descartes Essay
Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to
make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and
body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit
College of La FlГЁche between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimed that his education gave him little of substance and that only mathematics had
given him certain knowledge. In this lament he joins a chorus of seventeenth century philosophers including Bacon, Hobbes and Locke. In 1618 he
went to Holland to serve... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
So, the search was on for the method used by the ancient mathematicians to make their discoveries (the method of analysis). Descartes is clearly
convinced that the discovery of the proper method is the key to scientific advance. For a more extended and detailed discussion of these methods,
see John Cottingham , The Rationalists, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1982. Chapter 2. In November 1628 Descartes was in Paris, where he
made himself famous in a confrontation with Chandoux. Chandoux claimed that science could only be based on probablitiies. This view reflected the
dominance in French intellectual circles of Renaissance skepticism. This skptical view was rooted in the religious crisis in Europe resulting from the
Protestant Reformation and had been deepened by the publication of the works of Sextus Empiricus and reflections on disagreements between
classical authors. It was strengthend again by considerations about the differences in culture between New World cultures and that of Europe, and by
the debates over the new Copernican system. All of this had been eloquently formulated by Montaigne in his Apology for Raymond Sebond and
developed by his followers. Descartes attacked this view, claiming only that certainty could serve as a basis for knowledge, and that he himself had a
method for attaining such certainty. In the same year Descartes moved to Holland where he remained with only brief interruptions until 1649. In
Holland Descartes produced
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10. Rene Descartes Pneumonia Quotes
Rene Descartes was an anatomist, Philosopher and French mathematician. One of Descartes famous quotes stated, "Cogito ergo sum. (I think; therefore
I am.)" (Quotations) Descartes was born in La Hayne, Touraine, France on March 31, 1594 to an upper– class family. He died on February 11, 1650 in
Stockholm, Sweden of Pneumonia. According to the Lung Disease and Respiratory Health Center, "Pneumonia is an infection that inflames air sacs in
one or both lungs, which many fill with fluid." (Pneumonia) After his death, Descartes was laid to rest at the Abbey of Saint–German–des– Pres in
Paris. Before Rene was born, soon to be mother Jeanne Brochard and father Joachim Descartes got married on January 15, 1589 and lived in
Chatellerult. At four days
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11. Rene Descartes Deceit
Rene Descartes, born in France on March 31st, 1596 contributed immensely to philosophy, science and math. As an extremely accredited French
Philosopher, he formulated many hypotheses that some individuals still use today. Some deemed Rene Descartes the father of modern philosophy
while others simply appreciate the importance of his findings. Descartes argued that the senses are not to be trusted due to the fact that they are
subject to deceit. He addressed the deceit within senses issue with a idea that he called Method of Doubt. Also a major staple of his life would be
when he abandoned the idea of the philosophies of Aristotle as a whole as he formulated the first version of mind–body in its entirety. This theory
implies that the mind and... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
We all have a feature that is called a filing system. In this filing system we create a collection of thoughts. These collections of thoughts essentially
are emotions that we receive from our senses. Our senses are vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. When we see our crush what we may feel.
When we hear our crushes voice, what we may feel. And when we dream and envision our crush what we may feel. Descartes claims that we
compose our own file of experiences even when reality lacks. He claims we fill our own filing system with imaginary thoughts that may not even
be real. We have the ability to create illusions even with emotions. For example, is people are constantly learning and storing new information in
our mind even when we are asleep. Research has proven that our mind records audio sound from our background. Audio sound can range from a
television being left on, or music from a neighbors house. What we are hearing is complete reality, however, our dreams incorporate them as we
sleep. This action makes it extremely difficult to know whether something is real or fake. A dream or a reality becomes hard to recognize.
Knowledge helps us to better comprehend: "that the waking world is just a creation of our minds. It is realizing that as real and solid as it might
seem, the waking world is really just a series of concept and ideas created by our minds. And, off course, the existence of the mind is
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13. Essay about Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 in La Haye Touraine, France. Descartes was considered a "jack of all trades", making major
contributions to the areas of anatomy, cognitive science, optics, mathematics and philosophy. He has been referred to as the father of modern
rationalism, soldier of fortune, scholar, pilgrim, traveler, and a firm adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. He was educated at the Jesuit college of
La Fleche in Anjou. He entered the college at the age of eight years, just a few months after the opening of the college in January, 1604. At La Fleche,
Descartes formed the habit of spending the morning in bed. His health was poor and he was allowed to remain in bed until 11 o'clock in the morning.
This habit and custom... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It was at this point that he began to seek a unified science of nature. After two years in Holland he joined the Bavarian army. It was during this time
with the army that Descartes wandered through Europe seeing parts of Hungary, Germany, Italy, and France. During his travels to Paris he made
contact with Mersenne. This was an important contact because it kept him in touch with the scientific world for many years. In late 1628 he gave
a speech in Paris in which he argued that the sciences must be founded on certainty. He was encouraged by Cardinal Pierre de Berulle to develop
his own philosophical system. By 1628 Descartes tired of all the traveling and decided to settle down. He gave much thought to choosing a country
that suited his nature and decided on Holland. He felt Holland would offer him seclusion and more intellectual freedom. Soon after he settled in
Holland Descartes began work on his first major treatise on physics, Le Monde, ou Traite de la Lumiere. This work was near completion when he
received the news that Galileo was condemned to house arrest. He decided not to risk publication. His work, the world's first extended essay on
physiological psychology, was published after his death. While in Holland Descartes had a number of scientific friends, they encouraged him to
publish his ideas. Although he was adamant about not publishing Le Monde, he did write and publish in 1637 a treatise on science under the
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14. Research Paper On Rene Descartes
Descartes
Is our education complete once a degree has been earned? Have we learned all there is to know? Can we be sure of what we have come to know? Only
a completely self–assured person might answer yes to these questions, but for Rene Descartes (1596–1650) the completion of his formal education left
him feeling and thinking he was still ignorant about the certainties of human experience and existence. This prominent Renaissance philosopher
conquered the world of uncertainty in a work written in the 17th century. Mr. Descartes', Discourse on Method, quelled the skeptics with the assertion,
"I think, therefore I am". Most important to Descartes, however, was the method for which he was able to arrive at this axiom. The ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Only know that which is "clearly and distinctly to my mind". Second, to "divide each difficulty I should examine into as many parts as possible." The
third stage he set out to organize his thoughts into the easiest to the most complex, therefore, creating an orderly examination of the "objects of
knowledge." Finally, critical reviews of the "links in [the] argument" furthered his examination of the entire puzzle. Mr. Descartes' methodology was
paramount to the period in which it was born. However, it's important to note that Descartes didn't think we could, as humans, understand all existence
or phenomena. We cannot come to know God's purposes. Mr. Descartes was optimistic of the fact that all men are capable of rational thought or
reasoning. He took to a quiet environment and contemplated the serious problem for which he wanted to reconcile within himself; ho can man learn
knowledge. Facilitating the process of reason is the element Descartes terms, "the natural light of the mind." He argues that if we are to attain axiomatic
truths we must be free of "precipitancy and prejudice", whereby reason, the natural light of the mind, shall guide us to the certainties which define our
existence. Descartes' methodology was realized through his Metaphysical Doctrine, which asserted man and god's existence. In deep mediation the
philosopher set out to deny everything which his senses told him. Descartes
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15. Certainty Of Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes Rene Descartes was a philosopher of the 17th century. He had this keen interest in the search for certainty. For he was unimpressed
with the way philosophy is during their time. He mused that nothing certain was coming forth from all the philosophical ideologies. He had considered
that the case which philosophy was in was due to the fact that it was not grounded to something certain. He was primarily concerned with intellectual
certainty, meaning that something that is certain through the intellect. Thus he was named a rationalist due to this the line of thought that he pursued.
But in his work in the meditation, his method of finding this certainty was skeptical in nature; this is 'the methodic doubt'. Rene Descartes had
attempted to find that something which is certain to. Only to find that our senses are unreliable and our senses can be deceived. He did find that
something from which he is fairly certain about, which is the 'Cogito'. "Cogito ergo sum" which is often translated as, "I think, therefore I am." This
can be better translated as, "I am thinking, therefore I exists." This world–renowned saying has been called as the 'First ... Show more content on
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He had assumed this for in his search of finding that something which is certain, he had a "eureka" moment of realization that the one thinking for the
certain is that something which is the certain. Cogito is the mind. So if we use our definition of certainty, "that something which is a hundred percent not
doubtful, and is upheld and assured with information that is acquired from this world," the 'cogito' is still fit to have that definition. We could say that it
is a hundred percent not doubtful, for if we doubt the self, it just strengthens the claim, that the self, is the one doubting. I believe Rene had use the
term, 'indubitable.' The 'cogito' is the indubitable
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16. Informative Essay About Rene Descartes
This is an informative essay all about Rene' Descartes, and if you don't know who Rene' Descartes is than I will tell you. Rene' Descartes was a
French mathematician who later became a philosopher. In this paper, you will learn about the famous Rene' Descartes, through his personal life,
contributions to math, and some interesting facts about him. Now you know who Rene' Descartes is, here is some information about his personal life.
Rene' Descartes was born in France, in the town of Indre–et–Loire. Descartes was born on March 31, 1596.La Haye en Touraine was a small town and
has been since then renamed after him to honor its most famous son. Rene' Descartes influenced John Locke, Isaac Newton, and Baruch Spinoza.
Rene' Descartes had no wife and he loved math ever since he was a little boy. Rene' Descartes had little to no friends and he was called blockhead
because he was so different from everyone else. Not in a bad way. It was because he was super smart. Rene also earned a baccalaureate in law at
the university of Poitiers. Rene was so concerned with a good education that he was sent to boarding school at age 8. The boarding school was
called Jesuit college of henri IV and was located at LA Fleche and it was several miles to the north. Rene was there for seven years.Descartes was
originally from France but spent much of his life in the Dutch Republic. He is known as "the father of modern
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17. Philosophy Of Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes is an extremely influential philosopher from the 17th century and is widely considered the father of modern philosophy. One of
Descartes's most famous philosophies is his cogito ergo sum statement: I think, therefore, I am (Descartes, 2008). He believed that because he is a thing
that thinks, then he must have some kind of consciousness or awareness of the world. Because he has consciousness, he reasons that he must exist,
especially since he is aware that he is a thing that thinks. His physical body, on the other hand, has no awareness. From this stems another critical part
of his philosophy which states that the mind and the body are two separate substances. This concept is called dualism. Minds are indestructible and ...
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It is well described in philosopher John Searle's work Mind: A Brief Introduction. Searle writes about many materialistic theories that counter the
Cartesian dualism theory. These theories connect the mind and the body through the relationships between the brain, its functions, the mind, and its
awareness of the world in ways that Cartesian dualism cannot.
One primary materialist theory that John Searle discusses is the identity theory. The identity theory argues that mental states are simply material,
physical states of the brain. This theory affirms an identity between mental and brain states and accounts for the inner experiences that may not always
be portrayed by behavior. It fortifies the idea that mind, consciousness, and the body are not, in fact, separate substances, but connected through their
physicality and the causal relationship between inner and external experiences (Searle, 2004). Another aspect that the identity theory elucidates is that
changes in brain states results in changes in mental states. For example: Brain state one will provoke mental state one. When brain state one changes to
a different brain state, brain state two, then the mental state changes to a different, new mental state, mental state two, directly correlating with the
brain state change. When compared to Cartesian dualism, the identity theory suggests that Rene Descartes's
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18. Rene Descartes Argument Analysis
The father of modern philosophy, Rene Descartes, has had a significant impact on the realm of philosophy. The theory of mind–body dualism, a belief
that the mind and the body are two distinct substances capable of operating independently, is among Descartes' most popularized work. However, this
argument has stirred controversy amongst various philosophers, ultimately giving rise to the mind–body problem. This essay will closely examine the
basis of Descartes' argument, as well as critique its weakest premise.
In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes states: I think, therefore I am. Descartes is able to cast doubt on the existence of his body, but not on the
existence of his mind. As a result, Descartes concludes that there must be two substances, one mental and the other physical, that form one ... Show
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Interactionist, like Descartes, believe that the mind and the body are two separate entities capable of interacting with one another. This is a puzzling
assertion. How is it that a purely mental entity can affect a purely physical entity? The complexity surrounding this question is often regarded as the
mind–body problem. The mind–body problem causes many to question why it is a separate entity, known as the mind, is residing as well as
controlling one's body. If the mind has chosen that body to occupy in particular, is it possible for the mind to then leave and occupy another? Descarte
fails to offer a proper rationale for the many questions listed. Descarte says that the mind is connected to the body in the pineal gland, which is located
at the base of the brain, and that all mind–body interactions are processed through that portal between the mind and body. However, Descartes
reasoning does not successfully solve the problem since the pineal gland is a part of the physical body. It is then clear, that Descartes argument is
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20. Rene Descartes Research Paper
In 1596 on the 31st of March in a town called La Haye, at that time, Rene Descartes was born. His father was Joachim Descartes who was a lawyer
that worked for most of his life as a member of parliament. His mother was Jeanne Brochard who died the following year after Rene was born
during labor. Rene was the youngest of three siblings. Since his mother died while giving birth, Rene and his siblings were raised by Jeanne Sain,
his maternal grandmother. The family was what would have been considered middle class. There were some doctors and some lawyers in the
family. Rene was considered a sickly, weak child for his age. In 1607 at the age of 10, he was attended a boarding school in La Fleche which was a
Jesuit College. During this time at the Catholic school, Descartes learned the normal courses such as philosophy, grammar, and mathematical arts
which consisted of music, arithmetic, astronomy and geometry. He graduated in 1614; yet Descartes was ambivalent toward the education he received,
and similar to another great philosopher, Socrates, he was felt as though he had no knowledge of... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Five years later he completes Le Monde (The World). He suppresses publication after the church condemns Galileo because many of Descartes'
conclusions were identical to Galileo. "He was convinced that what he had written in his treatise was correct, yet he also firmly believed in the God of
the church" (Stratthern 35). By June 1637 he published The Discourse on Method. This was to be his most original work which included thoughts that
changed mathematics. With this work, he created the foundation of what we now term analytic geometry and introduced the idea of coordinates.
Leibniz later termed all of these findings Cartesian coordinate. Also during this time, Descartes had a daughter, Francine. The child's mother, Helene,
was a servant were Descartes lived at the time. Regrettably when Francine was five she died in
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21. The Meditations of Rene Descartes Essay
The Meditations of Rene Descartes
In 1916 Rene Descartes wrote "What I wish to finish is . . . an absolutely new science enabling one to resolve all questions proposed on any order of
continuos or discontinuous quantities." (p8 Methods & Meditations). He made this ambitious statement at the young age of twenty–three. Rene's
ambition would take him far but it kept him from becoming the Aristotle of the modern age. The Meditations were an attempt to solve the many
questions about life, existence, and God. At the time of their publishing many philosophers did not quit accept his writings. Today however the
Meditations are widely read and reviewed throughout the world. In the First Meditation Rene begins by stating that he know ... Show more content on
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He would continue and urge us not to trust what we see because there is no way of being certain about anything. Methodological doubt was his
basis on life claiming that everything is to be doubted. Rene Descartes first begins to come to some kind of belief by the Third Meditation. Rene
states . . . "I am certain that I am a thinking being; but do I not therefore likewise know what is required to make me certain of something?" (p113
Methods & Meditations). He goes on to say that God could not possibly be deceitful, it would not be his divine nature. This is when things start to
come together for Rene. After acknowledging that a divine God could not possibly be evil Rene goes even further to say that he (God) must exist.
This equation sounds strange but to this point Rene never really considered if God even existed or if he was simply a part of his imagination.
Rene's motto, "De omnibus dubitandumest" (everything is to be doubted), lead him back to basic proofs. His theory of analytical geometry was
the first major contribution to the field of science. This theory helped to offset some of his doubts and in many ways gave him the realization that
some qualities in life can be proven. For Descartes rule of everything to be doubted was only part of his philosophical life. While taking this rule
very serious he did not recommend it as a way of life. Descartes was only interested in the study of wisdom. He knew that the wisdom learned would
be a sort of
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22. Rene Descartes Accomplishments
When I see the word philosophy, I see it as exercising one's mind which no one can visual see with their own eyes. I only think they can feel with their
soul. With this in mind, I think the personalistic theory along with the scientific theory has Descartes using his achievements and contribution's
changed the viewpoint, the progress and redirected the course of philosophy that we still hold in high standard today. If Rene Descartes would have not
written some of his famous doctrines in the various fields, such as mathematics and psychology, which would no doubt prove his intelligence, his
creative talents and his energetic quietness. The naturalistic theory reflects the person who makes the times change in the outer circle around him, but
keeps the inner circle his personalistic theory or viewpoint. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One cannot work without the other. If Descartes inner circle grew faster than the outside circle – all of the society on the outside would be effected by
the intellectual radical changes in the fields of math, philosophy or even psychology, the outer circle or naturalistic society would certainly punish
him or shun his theories as fast as the words came out. Descartes personal life played a dramatic and drastic role simultaneously, he lived a very
secret and dark world within himself, he was not in strong health and preferred to sleep late in the morning, and while having these attributes which he
kept all his life, the gift of his creative thinking (mind) impacted his thought process the rest of his days. Descartes life was that of pure and simple
pleasures. He had lost the love of life, his daughter Francine at the age of 5, which caused him to be inconsolable and would have a profound toll on
his mind and body. He became a recluse by moving so many times to have a strong desire for
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23. Rene Descartes Meditations
1. About Rene Descartes Meditations:
a) What is the function of the doubt in Descartes' Meditations? What are the different stages of doubt in the Meditations? What does Descartes find to
be ultimately indubitable to constitute the foundation of his new philosophy?
– Descartes function of doubt in Meditations is basically to overthrow skepticism on its own ground, to begin by doubting everything you know
and everything you think you know. The first stage of doubt is the argument of physical misconception, our senses betray us some of the time but
possible that it betrays us all of the time. The second stage is knowing if one is dreaming or not, some dreams are so real that its hard to tell if they
are indeed real and anything that you see while you are awake can be a dream. The third stage is the "evil demon, believing that an evil demon who
is powerful enough to deceive you and who is as strong as god but isn't good. He concludes that all clear and distinct ideas are true and he knows that
he exists and that his essential characteristic is thinking, and by that he means any form of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
What is Descartes rationale? Is Descartes' rationale logical?
– No, there is and can be no such thing as evidence of the existence of god. God is not something anyone can attest or validate, with that being said he
is something one can chose to believe in or not. We imperfect and finite beings visualize the opportunity to be perfect. Descartes wants to prove the
idea of god in his mind as an innate idea and ends up proving it using the ontological argument. I don't believe it's logical; Descartes finishes with the
idea that one must require truth in their cause as in their effect.
3. What is a virtue (excellence or arête) of character? How is it acquired? What are the 
essential conditions that one has to meet in order to
develop virtues and lead an ethical
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25. The Meditations by Rene Descartes
In Descartes' Meditations, his goal to prove the existence of things could only be accomplished if he was logical, clear, and correct in his thoughts
and writings. The most important issues he noted were the threat of being deceived and the potential of being incorrect in his judgments, both of
which would lead him into error. Error exists as a problem that individuals encounter on a regular basis, and it also exists as a focal point in
Descartes' Meditations. Descartes defines error as "a privation or lack of some knowledge which somehow should be in me." As a "thinking thing",
which he defines as "a thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is willing, is unwilling, and also imagines and has sensory perceptions"В№,
Descartes must... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Judgments made when there is some disparity between intellect and will are potentially erroneous, and must be avoided due to this (pp.38–41).
Descartes states, "...the scope of the will is wider than that of the intellect; but instead of restricting it within the same limits, I extend its use to maters
which I do not understand" (Descartes, 40). Error exists because of this, and it is seen in a complex interaction between the faculty of intellect and the
faculty of will. While it is clear that one cannot become all–knowing, he can be free of errors as long as no judgments are made on subjects that are not
completely understood. As the intellect merely presents ideas in the mind, the errors made are in their judgments, and the incorrect use of free will. It
is important to be aware of the distinction between the faculty of free will and the actual use of free will, as the faculty is perfect yet error may
exist in its use. Error is shown as a result of the incorrect use of the tools granted to us, and it stands that error can be eliminated when these tools are
only used to the best of their ability; any further use is clearly how we come to err (p. 43).
Work Cited
Rene Descartes, The Meditations, tr. John Cottingham, in The Philosophical Writings of Descartes Vol. 2, ed. John Cottingham, Robert Stoofhoff,
Dugald Murdock (New York: University of Cambridge Press, 1984), p.
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26. Rene Descartes Meditations On First Philosophy
Rene Descartes is one of the most known French philosophers among the world's known philosophers. The most common phrase of Rene Descartes is
"I think, therefore, I am" that is universally known. He further says that human being use different reasoning in an attempt to have the most equitable
endowment and tackles a question on the most appropriate way that individuals might use reasoning. In his book, Meditations on First Philosophy,
Rene Descartes presents an argument that opposes an individual's trust of senses. His works are appealing but to some extent is a sense of oddity that is
noticed. This paper will discuss Rene Descartes views on the sense of data, what is appealing about his argument on the senses in relation to the actual
meditations. Rene Descartes established two main arguments towards meditation. His main aims in both meditations were to show proof that ... Show
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Therefore, there is a possibility that we are being deceived even in mathematical arguments of the world's structure. Further in his argument, he
Descartes introduces the aspect of demonic argument that challenges the assumption that if God is not the originator of our senses, then we can
assume that there is an existence of an evil demon that has the same ability to deceive (Descartes, 1647). The most fascinating part of the meditation
argument by Descartes in his position of the mind being known than the body. 'I think, therefore, I am" (Descartes, 1647) means that the existence of the
thought process in an individual is enough knowledge to prove existence, and the ability to exist as a thinking thing. It is even more intriguing that he
explains that an individual should be deceived about their existence as a thinking thing. The oddity of this argument stands in the disbelief of any
knowledge that exists outside the
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27. Rene Descartes Causal Argument
The idea of God existence has always been a part the history of human. There are always been a different point of view between those who believe in
God and those who do not believe in God existence. A French Philosopher, mathematician, and writer Rene Descartes was the one who clarify the
dilemma of the existence of God after he doubts everything. In fact, those who have faith in God obviously tend to adhere at one religion. However, the
skeptics try to search the answers of God existence through scientific methods. Rene Descartes after doubting everything, he definitely believes of the
existence of God. As to proof God existence, Descartes develop several essential arguments which are causal and ontological arguments. The logic of
Descartes' ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
But why he did not transmit his perfection to his creation? The reason of this question is because we (human) do not understand how a perfect being
can create an imperfect being. God, the perfect being create humans who always tend to make mistakes despite the fact that Descartes says God created
humans without faculty of making mistakes. The philosopher Descartes clarifies this confusion by stating that every mistake is an error of judgment.
Consequently, it should be assign to the will that judges, and human's error is not the fault of God. He claims that human's errors are mere defect since
human being has no infinite faculty of judgment. So, the extension of the will boundaries than human understanding is the effective origin of human's
errors. This is probably the reason why Descartes states in Meditation Four, page 85 that the desire extends further than the intelligence of humans. Base
on the explanation above, humans are capable of making mistakes.
Descartes develop several essential arguments which are design, causal and ontological arguments and base on Descartes demonstration, we can
clearly state that causal argument as demonstrate above is more objective than others. There is a perfect being who is God. This is obviously the
proof of the existence of God. And the perfection of God has nothing to do with human error because the error of human is the extension of
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28. Rene Descartes 'Doubting'
1.For Descartes, the main purpose of his project of "doubting" everything he can is in order for him to find truth.
2.The meditation sweep, or pre stage, in the progressive doubt chain is when Descartes tries to sweep away all previous known conceptions of
things. The first stage in the chain, the imagine if stage, is when Descartes takes a specific case he has thought of to find doubts in it. The next stage
in the chain of progressive doubt, or the why stage, is when Descartes explores why doubts can be found for that case and the reasons behind it. The
third stage, or the connective stage, is when Descartes collectively looks at the case, the doubts, and the why of the doubts and tries to connect them to
the mind and thought process. The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The discussion of the wax form centers around this idea that our mind knows the truth of the wax not our senses. Using only our senses, a list of
characteristics for wax in solid form can be compared to a list of characteristics for wax in a melted form. The major difference would be the state of
matter of the wax, solid versus liquid. Taking into account only the senses, we could not truly say what was is or why it can change characteristics.
Now add in the mind to the senses, the wax now becomes a thing that can have assumptions and expected behavior before the senses have a chance to
perceive them.
5.In the section given, Descartes is trying to argue that there is a great difference between the mind and body. His conclusion states along the lines that
he was correct, the mind and body are completely different. His reasons include that the body is a tangible thing that can be hacked to pieces, while the
mind and thought cannot be divided in the same way.
6.The main similarity between Descartes' Meditations and "Brain in a Vat" is the connection between ourperception of reality and the mind is
explored. The main difference between the two is how the exploration of this subject takes place. In Descartes' Meditations, he finds his doubts,
questions his senses, and then tries to link his doubts and questions to his mind. In the "Brain in a Vat," a story given, and left open for the reader to
question the reality of the character with no real answer of what
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29. Rene Descartes Theory Of Skepticism
Rene Descartes is one of the world's best and most respected philosophers in history. In his time, he presented two concluded with two arguments to
question skepticism. Skepticism is the attitude of doubting knowledge in any area. One idea being the argument of all existence being in an illusion or
dream–like world and nothing we are experiencing is real. The other theory is the idea that life is manipulated by an evil demon that has an infinite
amount of knowledge, and can even change basic logic and mathematics. Both theories were created to challenge the definition of skepticism by
forcing you into believing in things that may or may not exist.
The theory of being in the illusion or in a dream is explained in Descartes writing in "Within the Sphere of the Doubtful" that everything from
physically to visually in a dream could not be created in our minds if the object itself does not exist. Meaning that all the things we are dreaming about
are not imaginary but entirely real. Unlike a painting even when the artists study the representation for most fantastic and extraordinary outcome. They
cannot bestow nature's absolute, in reality they can only try and get as close as they can to the real thing, or try to create something fictional that has
never been seen before, therefore being false or non–existent.
I do not agree or disagree with this theoretic sense it is true that a dream is based out of things we have seen and experience and that it is an illusion in
a different
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31. Rene Descartes and John Locke
Rene Descartes was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and writer. Many elements of his philosophy have precedent in
late Aristolelianism and earlier philosophers like St. Augustine. Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by
Baruch Spinoza and opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo
sum, translation in English I think therefore I am.
Descartes employs a method called metaphysical doubt, sometimes also referred to as methodological skepticism: he rejects any ideas that can be
doubted, and then reestablishes them in order to acquire a firm foundation for genuine knowledge. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Locke said at birth, the human mind is a sort of blank slate on which experience writes. Locke claims that ideas are the materials of knowledge and
all ideas come from experience. The term idea stands for whatsoever is the object of the understanding, when a man thinks. Locke thinks we are
born with a bunch of faculties to receive abilities and to process the content once we gain it. For example, the mind can engage in three different
types of action in putting simple ideas together. The first of these kinds of action is to combine them into complex ideas. Complex ideas are of two
kinds, ideas of substances and ideas of modes. Substances are independent existences. Beings that count as substances include God, angels, humans,
animals, plants and a variety of constructed things. Modes are dependent existences. These include mathematical and moral ideas, and all the
conventional language of religion, politics and culture. The second action which the mind performs is the bringing of two ideas, whether simple or
complex, by one another so as to take a view of them at once, without uniting them. This gives us our ideas of relations. The third act of the mind is
the production of our general ideas by abstraction from particulars, leaving out the particular circumstances of time and place, which would limit the
application of an idea to a particular individual. In addition to these abilities, there are such faculties as memory which allow for the storing of
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32. Rene Descartes Research Paper
The aspect of the mind and the body is one of the most heavily debated subjects of philosophy. The purpose of this paper will be to explore my
thoughts against the view of the French philosopher, Rene Descartes. The question is, are the mind and the brain one and the same? The body is only
a physical form itself, the brain is only part of the physical body. But the mind is only a part of the brain within itself. Spiritually, they are both
connected to each other. Can they take on the form of each other? No. They are both separate entities altogether. I disagree with Descartes and his belief
that the mind is a physical entity or that he cannot be allowed to doubt his existence, but that spiritually one cannot exist without the other.
The mind
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33. Rene Descartes And Cartesian Dualism
In his Meditations, the 17th Century mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes raised arguments for the possibility of mind–body substance
dualism, the belief that the mind and the body are two separate and distinct entities. So closely associated with Descartes this argument became, that it
is now commonly referred to as Cartesian dualism. However, as many philosophers have noted both during and following Descartes lifetime, Cartesian
dualism raises what is known as the 'mind–body problem', which questions how the mind and body can causally interact. Many philosophers have
attempted to address this problem, either by rejecting dualism altogether for monist views such as physicalism or idealism, or by maintaining that
Cartesian dualism can be compatible with mind–body interaction. This essay will address whether Cartesian dualism can satisfactorily account the
interaction between mind and body, and in doing so will analyse/critique the responses offered by Descartes as well as contemporary substance dualists,
whilst contrasting these views with the monistic views which argue that there is no separation between mental and physical states.
It is at first worth noting that Descartes was not the first to address the issue of dualism. Indeed, dualist philosophy goes back at least as far as Plato,
who argued that there was a distinction between the ephemeral, corporeal physical body and the eternal, ethereal soul which Plato believed to inhabit
the body during life and continue to exist beyond death. Plato regarded the body, along with all things which exist, to be an imperfect copy of what
he called 'Forms', and that the existence of a distinct soul was necessary to acquire innate knowledge. Plato's justification for his arguments seem
reasonable, he recognised that the senses could be deceptive and that for us to understand the real world it must be through reason, therefore for us to
acquire an understanding in the physical world it would make sense that an immaterial part of us has a knowledge of the external forms. Plato's
dualism does have some significant flaws, mostly so is the fact that Plato's idea of a particular soul being bound within a particular body is not
sufficiently explained, how can an
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36. Rene Descartes And John Locke
"Rationalists thought that the mind was the source of true knowledge. Empiricists believed true knowledge derived from the senses. Rene Descartes, a
rationalist, and John Locke, an empiricist, were prime examples of epistemologists who were seen to differ greatly within each of their philosophies."
John Lock was an English empiricist philosopher. His beliefs on human knowledge, personal identity, andconsciousness were all based on the senses
experience and reflection, like Aristotle. Certainty was not a problem for Locke like it was for Gene Descartes. He explained this theory very well in
"Essay Concerning Human Understanding." Locke spoke of the mind. He believed memories were the key to ones' self. He considered that the person
was a forensic term. If a person was accused of a crime and they were not aware or could not remember doing said offense, Locke believed they
shouldn't be held responsible. He thought if a person loses their memory, they become a different person. He also believed that once the mind left
the body, it just went into someone else. Even sleeping can make us lose sight on our past selves since we are not conscious. Once a person's
memory is lost, Locke tells us the self has moved to a new body and your self is a new one You are a new person. Locke theorized every time we fell
asleep, we were not the same "thinking thing" but It does not affect the personal identity of us.
Rene Descartes was a rationalist. He was considered the father of modern
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37. Rene Descartes Accomplishments
Rene Descartes is the sole reason teenagers have to sit through fifteen days of mind corrosive and non–existent scenarios that adults will likely never
encounter. The lack of visual representations of mathematical equations would prevent us from discovering and mass producing ninety–five percent of
retail. Descartes had a wealthy background in the spring starting off his life, given his family was separated by death. He has portrayed ideas
relating to the fundamentals of algebra and philosophy that give and easier way of describing how mechanisms work. The world is in debt of the
research of Descartes' professions and without his work we would be in a divided, class based society. On March, 31 1596 Descartes was born into the
world in France.... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This divided the masses into educated or physical workers and made scientists stick out in such powerful verbal statements that couldn't be understood
by the public and therefore distrusted. Rene Descartes made this system exponentially better by giving visual representation of complex mathematics.
Without the coordinate planes dimensional modeling would be impossible to replicate perfectly. This accomplishment allowed for businesses and
corporations to form assembly lines and revolutionize how architecture could be preplanned in scale. The world would be so different today, that our
progression to colonization in cities wouldn't function and millions of citizens would perish under that clasps of natural disaster. Also further
categories of biology became evolved through ideas that Descartes had enough to make scientific work focused to finding out every living organism
is connected. Without this fact humans would have lived thinking we are the only decisions that matter. Within similar ideas he also creates a link
between the need for an omniscient being. He created a fair amount of research that will allow any monotheistic religion to make scientific theories
prove god exists rather than disproves his existence. The philosophy that lead to the possibility of today's accomplishments are greatly responsible and
possible because of
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39. A Brief Biography of Rene Descartes
The end of Renaissance science and the beginning of 'total mechanization of nature' era brought a mentality different from what it was. There was a
loss of spirituality and physicality and gain of motion and increase of momentum. Theories of self were approached with regards that natural objects
were machines, and with such a notion brought the intrigue of how these 'machines' operated. This concept, corpuscularism, catapulted a transition and
divide within the natural world with no intention or possibilities of reverting to past notions. The seventeenth century was a pivotal point in history,
which can be attributed by through works of philosopher Rene Descartes, who had endorsed the mechanistic conception of the world and the human
body by coining notions such as mind, substance, and the knowledge argument; although his notions were not always accepted, he managed to provide
valid support.
Born in France, Rene Descartes, dubbed The Father of Modern Philosophy was, in a way, a Renaissance man having contributed influence amongst
subjects such science, mathematics, psychology, and philosophy. Descartes was the medium of the philosophers before him, Michel de Montaigne and
Galileo Galilei. Descartes had sought to marginalize inquiry into skeptical epistemology and human psychology like Montaigne, except in a scientific
manner. He also incorporated Galileo's innovation of subjectivity. By doing so, Descartes had exposed the scientific irrelevance tosoul by proposing
that,
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