Rene Descartes and John Locke - 698 Words

Rene Descartes was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and writer. Many elements of his philosophy have precedent in late Aristolelianism and earlier philosophers like St. Augustine. Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum, translation in English I think therefore I am. Descartes employs a method called metaphysical doubt, sometimes also referred to as methodological skepticism: he rejects any ideas that can be doubted, and then reestablishes them in order to acquire a firm foundation for genuine knowledge.†¦show more content†¦Locke said at birth, the human mind is a sort of blank slate on which experience writes. Locke claims that ideas are the materials of knowledge and all ideas come from experience. The term idea stands for whatsoever is the object of the understanding, when a man thinks. Locke thinks we are born with a bunch of faculties to receive abilities and to process the content once we gain it. For example, the mind can engage in three different types of action in putting simple ideas together. The first of these kinds of action is to combine them into complex ideas. Complex ideas are of two kinds, ideas of substances and ideas of modes. Substances are independent existences. Beings that count as substances include God, angels, humans, animals, plants and a variety of constructed things. Modes are dependent existences. These include mathematical and moral ideas, and all the conventional language of religion, politics and culture. The second action which the mind performs is the bringing of two ideas, whether simple or complex, by one another so as to take a view of them at once, without uniting them. This gives us our ideas of relations. The third act of the mind is the production of our general ideas by abstraction from particulars, leaving out the particular circumstances of time and place, which would limit the application of an idea to a particular individual. In addition to these abilities, there are such faculties as memory which allow for the storing ofShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And Rene Descartes1442 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophers are individuals who address critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs with underlying theories of their own. John Locke and Rene Descartes were both cl assified as modern philosophers in the seventeenth century who sums up the subject about personal identity and its determents in reference to our own existence, such as who are we? The personal identity theory states that the philosophical confrontation with the ultimate questions of our own existence, such as who are weRead MoreRene Descartes And John Locke997 Words   |  4 PagesRene Descartes and John Locke each produced pieces of philosophical responses to the questions posed in epistemology which resulted with very different answers. Descartes relied on God and the mind as the only reliable and trustworthy sources to prove the existence of things other than ourselves. Locke, in contrast, made arguments for the existence of things in the external world via our innate ability to recognize and process sensations that are derived from subjects that exist in the material worldRead MoreJohn Locke And Rene Descartes Essay1444 Words   |  6 Pagesthe field of philosophy, many philo sophers have had theories on personal identity and a person’s â€Å"self.† These people have gone down in history books for their theories on a person’s identity: John Locke and Rene’ Descartes. These are two of the most famous philosophers of their time and all time. â€Å"John Locke was one of the philosophers who were against the Cartesian theory that soul accounts for personal identity (Nimbalkar, 2011).† His theory was that your â€Å"self† was your consciousness. He believedRead MorePropelling Rational Thought Over Compelling Empiricism1459 Words   |  6 Pages In this paper I intend to examine the rationalist philosophy of Rene Descartes and fundamental empiricism of John Locke’s philosophical arguments, in particular their ideas relating to the science of man, his identity and attempt to explain distinctions between the two. As I lay the framework of my argument it is important to understand the precepts that serve as the underpinning for the views considered by Descartes and Locke respectively. Rationalism and empiricism are two modes of thoughtRead MoreDescartes And John Locke s Views On Consciousness, Self, And Personal Identity1475 Words   |  6 PagesSeventeenth century philosophers Renà © Descartes and John Locke endeavored to question the views on consciousness, self, and personal identity. They examined belief in God, the certainty of knowledge, and the role of mind and body. The goal of this paper is to deliberate John Locke’s and Renà © Descartes views on â€Å"self† and personal identity and how each c ome to examine how knowledge is captured. Renà © Descartes and John Locke both present arguments that are rational in the discussion of consciousnessRead MoreEssay on Descartes vs Locke1257 Words   |  6 Pageslargely by experience, observation, and sensory perception. Renà © Descartes and John Locke, both seventeenth century philosophers, are often seen as two of the first early modern philosophers. Both Descartes and Locke attempt to find answers to the same questions in metaphysics and epistemology; among these: What is knowledge? Is there certainty in knowledge? What roles do the mind and body play in the acquisition of knowledge? Descartes and Locke do not provide the same answers to these questions. InRead MoreInnate Ideas Essay653 Words   |  3 Pagesof ideas. Rene Descartes and John Locke were these two philosophers with the opposing argument on innate ideas. The place where Descartes discusses his views were in the Meditations on First Philosophy and Lockes argument is located in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. By using these sources I will be able to describe the difference between these two arguments on innate ideas. Rene Descartes was a mathematician and an extremely brilliant man. In mediation three, Descartes is tryingRead MoreSimilarities And Weaknesses Of Descartes And Locke On The Topic Of The Origin Of Ideas1237 Words   |  5 Pageswe have? Renà © Descartes and John Locke, both seventeenth-century philosophers, are often seen as two of the first early modern philosophers. One question that the both of them try to tackle is the origin of ideas. Descartes and Locke do not provide the same answers to this question. This paper will discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of both augments of Descartes and Locke on the topic of the origin of ideas. It will also discuss who had the stronger argument overall. Descartes believesRead MoreDescartes vs Locke Essay1191 Words   |  5 PagesEssay (Descartes vs. Locke) Socrates once said, â€Å"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.† Several philosophers contradicted Socrates’ outlook and believed that true knowledge was in fact attainable. This epistemological view however had several stances to it, as philosophers held different beliefs in regards to the derivation of true knowledge. Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of true knowledge, while in Empiricism, true knowledge derived from the senses. Rene DescartesRead MoreDescartes vs. Locke1175 Words   |  5 PagesEssay (Descartes vs. Locke) Socrates once said, â€Å"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.† Several philosophers contradicted Socrates’ outlook and believed that true knowledge was in fact attainable. This epistemological view however had several stances to it, as philosophers held different beliefs in regards to the derivation of true knowledge. Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of true knowledge, while in Empiricism, true knowledge derived from the senses. Rene Descartes