Modern Philosophy

Comparison Essay # 94241

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Philosophy > Epistemology
Philosophy > History

Modern Philosophy

Explores knowledge and error, mind and body in the writings of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz and Locke.

2,943 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper deals with two principal issues that modern philosophers faced: epistemology (theory of knowledge) and the mind/body problem. It looks at what Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz and Locke had to say about the topics, using mostly primary sources.

Paper Outline:
Introduction
Descartes:
Knowledge and Error
Mind and Body
Spinoza:
Knowledge and Error
Mind and Body
Leibniz:
Mind and Body
Locke:
Knowledge and Error
Mind and Body
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper:

"Although I have stated that the aforementioned "reflective" knowledge is open to all human, the question remains: How does a human being receive this knowledge? According to Leibniz, "nothing can be taught to us whose idea we do not already have in our mind." In other words, every idea is innate. The only thing that is required to bring out the truth of ideas is a certain "attention" given to the recognition of truths. Like the slave boy in Plato's Meno, all we need is a "push" in the right direction to discover the ideas already in us, and subsequently to determine their validity."

Sample of Sources Used:

Ariew, Roger and Watkins, Eric, Eds. Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company. 1998.
Copleston, Frederick S.J. A History of Philosophy: Volume IV: Modern Philosophy: From Descartes to Leibniz. New York, NY: Doubleday. 1994.
Joachim, Harold H. A Study of the Ethics of Spinoza. New York, NY: Russell & Russell. 1964.
Lowe, E.J. Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Locke on Human Understanding. New York, NY: Routledge. 1995.
Russell, Bertrand. A History of Western Philosophy. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. 1945.