Concepts in metaphysics

of the utmost importance of scientific clarity, and scientific self-evidence. Spinoza and other influential rationalists of the like use Descartes claims as a platform with which to move forward with their own answers to fundamental questions in metaphysics. Extending past the description of Descartes’ Cogito Ergo Sum and its vast functions, to prove the philosophical validity of the statement the next step is to strike down the criticisms of the argument.…

which was sleep based on an easy and comfortable state of resting on one's unexamined assump¬tions. As Kant writes in Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics (1783), “He demonstrated irrefutably that it was perfectly impossible for reason to think such a combination a priori and by means of concepts…We cannot at all see why, as consequence of the existence of one thing” (Kant, 662) No matter how complicated and though out a chain of a priori reasoning could be, it is unable…

Arwa Alnasser G00038951 PHI201 Descartes Vs. Locke René Descartes and John Locke are two philosophers who study metaphysics and epistemology. They try to answer the questions related to that field of philosophy asking: What is knowledge? what can we know? and what is the difference between opinion and knowledge? The answers to those questions for Descartes are radically different than those of Locke. The former comes from a rationalist’s point of view while the later comes from an empiricist…

The concept of the “Form of Forms” could definitely be some sort of god. Plato’s “Form of Forms” is the Form of good. The god in Christianity is known to be good. Psalm 119:68 demonstrates this when it says, “For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;…

he aims to defend idealism (immaterialism), or the notion that real objects are mind-dependent ideas, by attacking the materialist view, or the belief that material things exist independent of the mind. Berkeley believes that the way the current metaphysics is spent doubting is ineffective. He views that philosophers have wasted their lives doubting what others already know exists. Hence, he believes that knowledge is attained through the senses and not by doubting. Therefore, Berkeley refutes…

era. Over the centuries, innovative ideas have been presented defending both cases of the argument. In the case of determinism, I choose to focus on two specific branches of the philosophy: casual determinism and theological determinism. These two concepts contribute the most compelling evidence on the determinist’s behalf. The main issue which arises from determinism is the notion that an individual is not living on his/her own terms, but instead is participating in a predestined reality.…

judgements, those being Empiricism and Rationalism. Rationalism or analytic judgement depends wholly on the Law of Contradiction and a priori knowledge. “It expresses nothing in the predicate but what has been already actually thought in the concept of the subject, though not so distinctly or with the same (full) consciousness.” (Fieser & Lillegard, 2005, p. 351) Empiricism or synthetic judgement which “require a different Principle from the Law of Contradiction, are made up of both…

René Descartes, the famous French philosopher and brilliant 17th century Scholar is credited worldwide as the founder of modern western philosophy for his works in the fields of Ontology – a branch of metaphysics regarding the ‘nature of being’- and Epistemology – the study of knowledge. What set him apart from the ancient philosophers was his avoidance of the scholastic traditions to write only in Latin (the language that only highly educated people were trained in) and instead wrote in French…

supporting the claim. (Huemer 47-57) René Descartes holds the opposite opinion, which he discusses in ‘Meditations One and Two.’ While there is validity to both sides of the argument, Huemer’s essay proves to be more reliable after dissecting Descartes’ concepts of existence. Huemer proposes that no one can know anything about the external world, or anything that exists outside of the mind. It is impossible to be certain of how many fingers one has, or if surrounding objects are real or solely…

What is the topic of Wittgenstein’s remarks? Answer: The topic of Wittgenstein’s remarks is about the interpretation of private language. What branch(es) of philosophy would seem to be at issue in the passage? Answer: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language What is Wittgenstein claiming in the passage? Wittgenstein is claiming that words and signs originating from private language cannot be defined in any meaningful manner, since the words and signs didn’t come from common language…