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This 3 page paper examines the characteristics of the philosophical traditions of seventeenth century rationalism and eighteenth century empiricism and compares them to Aristotle and Plato's views. Many quotes are included Bibliography lists 8 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA425RaE.rtf
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should be no argumentation. For example, the sun always rises, and if it did not, no one would be a witness to it. At the same time, someone might argue
that the sun does not even exist and it is rather, mans illusion. Such implausible ideas are the concepts that philosophers love to debate. In looking at two camps--rationalism and
empiricism--there is a lot of disagreement. The general characteristics of the philosophical tradition of seventeenth rationalism is similar to eighteenth century empiricism but there are fundamental differences. One might
also contend that rationalism is rooted in the thinking of Aristotle but empiricism is related to the thinking of Plato. Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz are considered
rationalists. Rationalism holds that reason is more important than experience. Descartes (1901), in his first Meditation, wrote: "All that I have, up to this moment, accepted as possessed
of the highest truth and certainty, I received either from or through the senses. I observed, however, that these sometimes misled us; and it is the part of prudence not
to place absolute confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived." Many can relate to that experience. Spinoza (1994) also believed in one realm. Spinoza writes:
"By God, I mean a Being absolutely infinite -- that is, a substance consisting in infinite attributes, of which each expresses eternal and infinite essentiality ..." (qtd. in Yancy).
Also, Leibniz reached the conclusion that whatever can be divided infinitely, without reaching entities, and cannot be further divided, is not a basic individual (Honderich, 1995). Leibniz writes: "
...neither substance nor accident can enter a monad from without" (Leibniz as cited in "Leibnizs ," 1998). In essence, rationalism is similar to Aristotles ideas because he saw a dual
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