René Descartes

still not been solved. Descartes expands on the notion of extension in the Fifth Meditation saying, "I enumerate the thing 's various parts. I ascribe to these parts certain sizes, shapes, positions, and movements from place to place; to these movements I ascribe various durations" (1980, p. 85). Conversely, the body is also able to influence the soul. Light reflected from the body of an animal and entering through our two eyes. It is clear from this statement by Descartes, that he potentially…

In Meditations of First Philosophy, Descartes explains philosophical meditations written over six days. The Second Meditation concerns the nature of the human mind. Descartes argues that the human mind is better known than the body. A major claim of his is his most famous quote “I think, therefore I am,” meaning a thinking thing, such as himself, can exist. In this essay, I will prove that Descartes’ argument in the Second Meditation for his existence as a thinking thing is convincing. First, I…

continues Descartes search for one main concern of how he cannot be certain of anything. He has reached the conclusion of a clearer understanding of the physical world and how it comes from the use of judgement and reason, as opposed to relying solely on what ‘appears to be the case’ through perception of the senses and use of the imagination. Ultimately, then, I think the true nature of things in the external world are not revealed fully. How do I really know what is for certain? Descartes uses…

Cartesian Dualism is the idea of the French philosopher Rene Descartes, Cartesian being developed from Descartes’ name. (1) His theory was designed after Aristotle’s, which is that humans possess an entity called the soul, which is entirely independent of the body. The Dualist philosophies declare that the mind is completely separate from…

The Renaissance was probably one of the most known epochs in human history. But what most don’t know about is the Baroque Era and the Enlightenment Era. There were a lot of events that occurred during this time period that make it slightly different than the Renaissance, and a lot of it had to do with social aspects. One of the most controversial events that was happening was the Thirty Years’ War. According to the textbook, it took place “from 1618 to 1648, a series of wars raged throughout…

Descartes: Proofs for God existence and the nature of human’s mistakes Rene Descartes, a famous French philosophy, was known as “the Father of modern philosophy”. With his formidable and broad knowledge, Descartes fostered his desire to seek for only true beliefs that were certain and indubitably true. In his work, the Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes reiterated his intellectual process of doubting and questioning all the essences of corporeal and intangible…

possibility of an after-life. Plato and Descartes are notorious for substance dualism which is also known as mind-body dualism, the believe that the soul is able to live on without the presence of the physical substance, the body. In this essay I will describe and assess the argument of substance dualism postulated by Rene Descartes (1596-1650). My thesis is that Descartes’ argument for substance dualism is not very persuasive and Gilbert Ryle manages…

properties that make a person feel a special sense of attachment or ownership. Both philosophers John Locke and Rene Descartes had contrasting views about one’s working mind. Descartes believes that the mind cannot be identical to the body whereas Locke emphasizes that our bodies and mind are the same thing. Locke’s ideas on personal identity are primarily focused on memory, whereas Descartes is focused on the “thinking mind.” The thinking mind is our way of alerting the body, confirming that we…

Rene Descartes proposes a variant of substance dualism that maintains the equal and distinct existence of physical and mental substances. Descartes (1641) discusses that bodies are physical substances because they extend outward and occupy spatial regions while the human mind is a mental substance because it cannot extend through space (P.165). Descartes also notes fundamental differences on their activities; the human body is passive because it cannot think while the mind can handle complex…

INTRODUCTION: The following are argument analysis of arguments that mainly comprises the “Three dialogues between Hylas and Philonous” and “Treatise concerning the principle of Human Knowledge” both written by George Berkley , who is an Irish philosopher and coined the philosophical concept called “immaterialism” which denies that materials exist in the world and are the fundamental building blocks of reality , indeed it says that it is the ideas which really exist in the minds of the…