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This 5 page paper examines concepts in philosophy with a focus on Descartes' ideas. Various critics are discussed including Hume and Feyerabend. The film Mindwalk is noted as being in conflict with Descartes' concepts. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA545Des.rtf
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that Descartes is best as it contains a healthy skepticism. Of course, that is an understatement. After all, Rene Descartes practically doubted that he even existed. Here, what happens
is that Descartes is able to doubt everything, but with the cogito comes to the realization that he cannot doubt his own existence (Avila 193). After all, he is the
thinker. It seems that this is a plausible method of determining reality. He does it very simply and he also does it in such a way that is understandable for
the average man. He actually comes to this conclusion after rejecting sensory experiences as valid methods of knowledge because they can be in error (Avila 193). Of course, many people
have experienced this phenomenon. They perceive something one way or another and it turns out to be wrong. Descartes bases his outcome on pure logic. He uses reason. There are
many critics of Descartes. Some critics object to the simplicity and rationale which he uses. Others simply see experiential knowledge as the only kind that is valuable. Those types of
theorists doubt the power of the mind. Hume writes: " This proposition, that causes and effects are discoverable, not by reason but by experience, will readily be admitted with regard
to such objects, as we remember to have once been altogether unknown to us..." (Avila 172). Humes main critique is that Descartes relies on rational thinking whereas he believes
that experience is the greatest teacher. Sensory experiences are valid to Hume. In discussing the problem, it pays to note that these are extremes of thinking. Is knowledge just known
or experiential? Are our thoughts the real "I" or is the body that is experiencing the world really how a human being acquires knowledge? The question is difficult to answer,
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