Theories of Knowledge

Comparison Essay # 114149

A comparative analysis of Plato's, Descartes and David Hume's theories of knowledge.

882 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Plato believed that knowledge leads to an end of truth and how incorporates this idea of immutable, infallible truth into his theory of forms. In comparison, it looks at how Descartes tried to show that there are certain qualities that the mind must possess in order to know what qualifies as indubitable ideas and how Hume's empiricist view of knowledge is strictly based upon experience; that is, only sensory experience provides any basis for deduction, in which knowledge can be gained. The paper further examines how the content of these philosophers' theories varies, since to both Plato and Descartes knowledge is eternal, while Hume's experience-based knowledge is subjective, since it is based on the person experiencing the act.

From the Paper:

"Descartes tries to show that there are certain qualities that the mind must possess in order to know what qualifies as indubitable ideas. Descartes thus tries to prove that only innate ideas that are injected by God are trustworthy. To do this, he shows that there are three types of ideas--innate, adventitious, and invented--and that all three of these ideas are solely performed in the mind (versus the body). By rationalizing, he deduces that the ability of the mind to recognize innate ideas is the ability needed to recognize what is truly indubitable. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy. Trans. Donald A. Cress. Vol. Third Edition. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1993.
Hume, David. "Hume: Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding." August 1993. P.F. Collier & Son. 2 November 2008 <http://18th.eserver.org/hume-enquiry.html#2>.
Plato. "Phaedo." Trans. Benjamin Jowett.
Republic. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1992.
The Dialogues of Plato. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. Vol. 2. Harper & Bros., 1914.