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. 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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