Comparison Of Rene Descartes And David Hume And Epistemology

Two of the most intriguing schools of philosophy are the two which deal specifically with epistemology, or, what is better known as the origin of knowledge. Although they are not completely opposite of one another, they are argued in depth by two of the most famous philosophers in history. The origins of study in rationalism and empiricism can be found in the 17th century, during a time when various significant developments were made in the fields of astronomy and mechanics. These advancements undoubtedly led to the questions that probed the sudden philosophical argument: What do we truly know? Many people throughout history began to question whether science was really providing them with the true knowledge of reality. As a result of these questions, the two schools of philosophy were formed.
Rene Descartes and David Hume are two of the most well-known philosophers of epistemology. Descartes was a rationalist who claimed to possess a special method to form a well-rounded method of doubt, which was exhibited in his many studies of mathematics, natural philosophy and metaphysics. Hume was an empiricist who is generally known as one of the most important philosophers in English writing. Descartes idea of rationalism argued that reason and logic form the basis of knowledge; believing that knowledge originates in the mind and it cannot be formed within the senses. According to Descartes, even God himself was a matter of …show more content…
However, neither has been found truer than the other. Essentially, there is no right or wrong answer. Based on modern scientific views, some may believe that Hume’s ideas have the edge over Descartes. However it does seem ironic considering that Descartes believed that knowledge was only gained through logic and scientific method. His very methods were in turn used against him to prove that his ideas on human understanding have been used to debunk his ideas about