Sunday, May 24, 2020

Cartesian Rationalism Vs. Locke s Empiricism Essay

Running Head: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Introduction to Philosophy Name Institution INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Cartesian rationalism vs. Locke’s empiricism Rene Descartes was a rationalist who believed that knowledge of the world can be gained by the exercise of pure reason, while empiricist like Locke believed that knowledge of the world came through senses. Descartes from his meditations deduced from intuitive first principles the existence of self, of God, of the mind as a thinking substance and the extended body as a material substance whereas Locke, asserts that knowledge is acquired through perception, direct sensory of the world, reflections, the mental processes of breaking down complex impressions into simple ones and comparing them, conceptualizing them and recommending them to form new philosophies. The two philosophers namely Descartes and Locke vary greatly on the issue of the source of knowledge. Descartes doesn’t believe in knowledge arising from experience while Locke also doesn’t agree with the issue of the existence of inherent ideas in the mind. Both Descartes and Locke are skeptics about the possibility of certain knowledge. Descartes is a rationalist who believes that there is definitely certain knowledge and human reasoning is the only source of that knowledge while LockeShow MoreRelatedThe Principles Of Empiricism And The Spirit Behind It2295 Words   |  10 PagesCritical Reasoning Essay 3: British Empiricism with particular reference to Locke’s theory of ideas – the basic principles of empiricism and the spirit behind it; Locke’s theory of the origin and types of ideas and the problems it gave rise to. Locke, John, An Essay concerning human understanding, Everyman, 1961: Book 1, of Innate ideas, Book 2, chapter 1, of ideas in gen eral and their original, Berkeley, George, A treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge. Empiricists endorse the idea

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