Monday, December 23, 2019

Descartes v Hume Essay - 1542 Words

The concept of self identifies the essence of one’s very being. It implies continuous existence having no other exact equal, i.e. the one and only. Whether or not the specific characteristic(s) used to define self are objectively real, i.e. physical attributes, or purely subjective, i.e. imaginary traits, the concept makes distinct one entity from another. Rationalism is the theory that truth can be derived through use of reason alone. Empiricism, a rival theory, asserts that truth must be established by sensual experience: touch, taste, smell, et al. Rene Descartes, a philosopher and rationalist concluded that one self was merely a continuous awareness of one’s own existence; one’s substance was one’s ability to think. On the other†¦show more content†¦He reasoned that our senses often misinterpret the physical world, e.g. we sometimes see things that aren’t actually there or perceive things differently from different distances. Bodily sen ses are a means of perceiving the external world, but since we know our senses can be false or misleading, we can doubt our bodies as being a source of truth. In addition, Descartes claimed that we often sense things that don’t physically exist in the external world. For example, while dreaming we can see, smell, hear, taste and feel. If senses are a means of perceiving the external world, yet we can’t positively distinguish a dream from reality, it’s possible that the external world could be completely imaginary. Since we can sense things without bodies, it’s impossible to be certain that bodies actually exist since sensual experiences are essentially the proof of bodily existence. What’s not impossible is that an evil genius may have created our senses with the illusion of an outside world just to mislead us, and or fool us into believing that we have bodies. Though highly improbable, the idea of a very powerful evil genius cannot be disproven be yond any doubt, so it’s certainly possible that such a being may potentially exist. In Meditation II, Descartes fully rejects the notion of bodily senses, but concludes that he himself does actually exist.Show MoreRelatedDavid Hume Essay1210 Words   |  5 PagesDavid Hume Hume, David, 1711-76, Scottish philosopher and historian. Hume carried the empiricism of John Locke and George Berkeley to the logical extreme of radical skepticism. He repudiated the possibility of certain knowledge, finding in the mind nothing but a series of sensations, and held that cause-and-effect in the natural world derives solely from the conjunction ofRead MoreA Defense of David Humes Moral Sense Theory Essay2339 Words   |  10 Pagesbasis of morals in A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume states, â€Å"Philosophy is commonly divided into speculative and practical; and as morality is always comprehended under the latter division, ‘tis supposed to influence our passions and actions.† He later argues, â€Å"Since morals, therefore, have an influence on the actions and affections, it follows, that they cannot be deriv’d from reason[†¦]Morals excite passions, and produce or prevent actions† (Hume 1978). At the root of every one of our actionsRead More Fallibilism and Epistemology Essay5056 Words   |  21 Pagesaccurately, true belief with a logos--that he ultimately rejects in the Theaetetus. Epistemology could have leaped ahead two millennia, and some Hellenistic Greek could have been Ed Gettier. Perhaps a more famous victim of the quest for certainty is Descartes. He noticed that he was often wrong about things he thought he knew, even about some things he believed with a great deal of confidence. Not only have some of his well-grounded theories turned out to be wrong, but even the most certain of thingsRead MoreBranches of Philosophy8343 Words   |  34 Pagesarticle: History of Western philosophy The introduction of the terms philosopher and philosophy has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras (see Diogenes Laertius: De vita et moribus philosophorum, I, 12; Cicero: Tusculanae disputationes, V, 8-9). The ascription is based on a passage in a lost work of Herakleides Pontikos, a disciple of Aristotle. It is considered to be part of the widespread legends of Pythagoras of this time. Philosopher replaced the word sophist (from sophoi), whichRead MoreThe Creation Of Western Civilization2015 Words   |  9 Pagesthe richest regions in Europe. Shortly following this inheritance, Maximillian’s son became married the beneficiary of Isabella and Ferdinand. This was intended so that beneath the rule of Charles V, the Hapsburgs had reign over a large amount of Europe. It was also throughout the control of Charles V, that Martin Luther had started the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic attempt to get rid of Protestant influence. â€Å"Many rulers had themselves worke d for decades to bring about basic church reformsRead MoreJohn Lockes Theory of Knowledge Essay1878 Words   |  8 Pagesknowledge, gives us a metaphysics which is not greatly different from the scholastic. He even appeals to the familiar principles of Scholasticism, showing how difficult it is for man to withdraw from the philosophy of being. Berkeley, first, and then David Hume went all the way and reduced being to the status of a subjective phenomenon. In so doing, these two philosophers merely drew the logical conclusions of the gnosiological phenomenalism proposed by John Locke. II. Life and Works John Locke was bornRead More Emotional intelligence: The rapprochement of reason and emotion5515 Words   |  23 Pagesof ancient Greece argued that the idiosyncratic nature of emotion rendered it incapable of contributing to insight and wisdom. Similar views continued to dominate academic thinking into the Renaissance period of 16th and 17th centuries of Europe. Descartes (1595-1650) argued that an emotion is one type of â€Å"passion†, where the passions are distinguished from â€Å"clear cognition†, and render judgment â€Å"confused and obscure† (1649/1989). Kant (1724-1804) further reinforced the distinction between reason onRead MoreEmotional Intelligence: the Rapprochement of Reason and Emotion5749 Words   |  23 Pagesancient Greece argued that the idiosyncratic nature of emotion rendered it incapable of contributing to insight and wisdom. Similar views continued to dominate academic thinking into the Renaissance period of 16th and 17th centuries of E urope. Descartes (1595-1650) argued that an emotion is one type of passion, where the passions are distinguished from clear cognition, and render judgment confused and obscure (1649/1989). Kant (1724-1804) further reinforced the distinction between reasonRead Morehistory of philosophy5031 Words   |  21 PagesLogic Metaphysics Political philosophy Branches Aesthetics Epistemology Ethics Logic Metaphysics Political philosophy Social philosophy Lists Index Outline Years Problems Publications Theories Glossary Philosophers   Philosophy portal v t e The  history of philosophy  is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include (but are not limited to): How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically?Read MoreEssay on Our Posthuman Future: The Philosophical Implications2960 Words   |  12 Pageswhat it means to think is that of the Enlightenment Philosopher, Thomas Hobbes who posited, â€Å"Thinking was nothing more than reckoning† (Mays, 1952, 159). Next, the other philosophers like Kant, Leibniz, and Hume postulated that thinking is an extension of one’s mind, which is echoed by Descartes (widely regarded as the pioneer of cognition) who stated, â€Å"I Think, Therefore I am† (Mays, 1952, 161). This leads us to the premise that the human mind is akin to a computer, which derives its intelligence

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Special Administrative Measures Free Essays

Special administrative measures (SAMs) refers to the special rules that are applied to certain inmates especially those associated with violence, national security and terrorism. These types of inmates are considered to be very dangerous. These measures include monitoring and limiting an inmate’s telephone calls and any form of correspondence, restricting an inmate’s interview with the press, putting the inmate in isolation, and limiting the inmate’s privilege to receive visitors (Martin, 2004). We will write a custom essay sample on Special Administrative Measures or any similar topic only for you Order Now These measures are put in place to protect people from serious bodily harm or death especially if the victims are associated with terrorism or acts of violence (Martin, 2004). In case the inmate is associated with national security, these measures are put in place to prevent the inmates from disclosing classified information (Martin, 2004). Generally, such inmates have increased limitations and are under greater scrutiny compared to other inmates. The measures are so strict that in most circumstances the communications between the inmates and their attorneys are monitored in case the attorneys are used by the inmates to communicate with other criminals (Martin, 2004). The decision to place an inmate under special administrative measures is arrived at following a written request from the Attorney General to the director of Bureau of Prisons following advice by the intelligence agencies (Martin, 2004). There are several functions of SAMs and these can be classified as overt and covert purposes. The overt purposes relate to protection of the general public from harm by restricting an inmate’s contact with the outside world which is an avenue that the inmate can use to perpetrate violence or terrorism. One of the covert purposes is use of the monitored information for investigative purposes for example if an inmate is directing terrorism from the cell (Martin, 2004). Another covert purpose is to protect the public from anxiety which can result following disclosure of information about national security. How to cite Special Administrative Measures, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Nile River free essay sample

The picture that is being depicted on the paper given is the Nile Rive It is founded in the north of Africa, it is the longest river in Africa and possible the world. This river creates a fertile land which is great for farming and from this fertile land it allowed ancient Egyptians to have a large amount of food for both there friends, families, and for trade. From this the Nile river became one of the oldest civilizations in the world to began. The fertile soil allowed the ancient Egyptian to use the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals; farming was very poplar in ancient Egypt especially along the Nile River. The gift of the Nile when you first read the title the gift of the Nile your are some what confused well if not I was I had to think deeply to myself why would Egypt be considered the gift of the Nile. We will write a custom essay sample on Nile River or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Then a light went of in my head Egypt is considered the Gift of the Nile because of its effects it has on the people that leave near by and use this river for there ever day usage. The Nile over its banks yearly and floods every thing that’s in its path from the flood new soil but appear with is know as top soil from this the Egyptian plants would grow plentiful. Herodotus statement is very true reason being without the Nile River and its yearly flooding of its banks agriculture would have been possible impossible due its Egypt location and human civilization wouldn’t have been possible as well because there plants and vegetables would have been much less likely to develop and flourish.