Abstract
This paper examines Renee Descartes' "Meditations", and explains that within this writing, he justifies his faith in reason by a circuitous route. The paper explains that Descartes accomplishes this by first raising all of the epistemological doubts of skeptics - and then vindicating his faith in reason by advancing an argument for trusting certain aspects of our rationality. In the process, as far as he is concerned, he manages to: ... "tear down everything and begin anew from the foundations [in order to] ... establish ... firm and lasting knowledge". The paper then goes on to argue that contrary to establishing his faith in reason, to a very large extent, the new foundation that Descartes erects, and pins his firm knowledge on, is his certainty of the existence of God.

Tags:descartes, knowledge, god

Abstract
This paper explains that D'Amico (the primary author) commits many logical fallacies throughout his paper thus making his conclusions completely erroneous. The author stresses that the assumption of an unjust government, upon which D'Amico's entire argument hinges, is false because he begins by likening all governments to the "unjust government". D'Amico argues, using the non sequitur that because one has the right or even duty to "abolish" such a government, it follows that one has the right to "deface government property." The paper concludes that D'Amico's entire argument is circular reasoning because he claims that graffiti artists are taking back private property based on the fact that the government has stolen the private property and then he justifies his claim that the government has stolen the private property because it belongs to the graffiti artists who have homesteaded it.

From the Paper
"D'Amico continues to pursue this false analogy by using the "just war theory" to justify graffiti and by doing so commits yet another fallacy. D'Amico admits that, "although the theory applies, explicitly, only to governments, let us she how a non governmental "war" matches up against these criteria." By his own admission, the just war theory explicitly states that it should not be applied to anything other than governments yet D'Amico insists on applying it to graffiti. Governments have the obligation to protect citizens and are thus not acting in its own self interest. This element is something that can never be reproduced in a graffiti artist."

Tags:homesteading, false-analogy, fallacies, non-sequitur, circular-reasoning

Abstract
This paper presents a critical response to Descartes' 'Meditations'. The paper argues that Descartes relies on circular reasoning to begin his foundation of knowledge. The writer discusses that by arguing for clear and distinct perception, Descartes must rely on a notion of God to overcome his method of doubt. But to prove God, he must rely on clear and distinct perception.

From the Paper
"Rene Descartes first published his Meditations on First Philosophy in 1641. In the work, he attempted to center his own approach to philosophical argument around a central concern: What is it that we can know? In doing so, he moved philosophical debate away from the traditional debate between Plato and Aristotle concerning what constitutes reality. Following him, generations of philosophers have struggled first with epistemology, then with ontology. Because of his use of the scientific method to approach his project, applying a methodical doubt in order to determine what is knowable and what is merely to be doubted, Descartes is ..."

Tags:philosophy, analysis

Abstract
In contrasting the "insider" view of the purpose and function of Christian faith with an explanation from an "outsider" perspective, it is evident that the traditional Christian perspective of faith is itself based upon faith. Many outsiders consider this to be a classic example of flawed circular reasoning, for Christian justification and belief in the doctrine of faith is based upon the doctrine of faith itself and not upon confirming evidence or authenticated experience, which outsiders would consider necessary in order to validate the doctrine.

From the Paper
Insider vs. Outsider: An Analysis of Perspectives On Christian Faith In contrasting the "insider" view of the purpose and function of Christian faith with an explanation from an "outsider" perspective, it is evident that disagreement is inevitable, for the traditional Christian perspective of faith is itself based upon faith. Many outsiders consider this to be a classic example of flawed circular reasoning, for in their view Christian justification and belief in the doctrine of faith is based upon the

Tags:doctrine, of, faith

Abstract
This paper explores how Ian McEwan's novel, "Enduring Love", examines the fallacy of begging the question or circular reasoning. It looks at how this fallacy occurs when one infers a conclusion that, ultimately, is based on that very conclusion. It also illustrates how the narrative examination of this fallacy shows how an individual can act as an agent of his own fate, neglecting to embrace the freedom bestowed upon all humanity.

From the Paper
"Uncertain of his own impetus to help, Rose reveals that no one "would ever know fully" the significance of the incident or their involvement. Implicit in this statement is Rose's acknowledgment of a partial understanding which he refuses to address. Rather than explore his inability to "fully" grasp the significance Rose offers a surface (albeit truthful) explanation that cannot be contended. "Superficially the answer was a balloon," says Rose, and thus admittedly abandons the metaphysical question for a physical answer. While Rose's superficial explanation is based on truthful characteristics of a balloon it commits the fallacy of begging the question. By comparing the incident to the beginning of the universe Rose deems the incident "the first step" in a chain of events. However, he can only define the initial "step" by its consequences."

Tags:clarissa, madness, murder, science, rose

Abstract
This paper analyzes the communication and reasoning in the essay "Revealing Moments: The Voice of One Who Lives with Labels" by Didi Khayatt. The writer dsicusses that the article concerns views of ethnicity and identity as expressed by the labels people put on others and accept for themselves. Further the writer notes failures in the reasoning and writing of the essay and problems with understanding its meaning.

Tags:modes, reasoning, communication

Abstract
The paper posits that few poems in the canon of English literature are as polished and as powerful as Emily Dickinson's, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death". The paper asserts that while the reasons why this is so are plentiful, the most obvious are the content and form of the poem and Dickinson's clever use of poetic devices. Specifically, the paper argues that the content of the poem is meant to emphasize the inevitability of death and how it does not have to be feared by stalwart Christians; the poem's content also captures how the slumber of death will seem like a mere night's rest to the blessed when the day of Judgment arrives. With regards to its actual form, the circular nature of human existence and the circular nature of eternity - that is to say, the eternal linkage of life with death - is reflected in the poem's regular iambic pentameter and in its use of poems of alternating line lengths; these altering line lengths, incidentally, also seem to capture Dickinson's views on the relative significance of life on earth versus eternal life by subtly accentuating the relative duration of each. Finally, the paper shows how Dickinson's use of devices like internal rhyme, alliteration, and anaphora are meant to reinforce the circularity of the life/death relationship and the inevitable arrival of the former. The paper concludes that the poem is a treatise on how death awaits all of us - but this fact does not have to be met with dread by the pure of heart.

From the Paper
"It is arguable that few poems in the canon of English literature are as polished and as powerful as Emily Dickinson's, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death". The reasons why this is so are plentiful, but the most obvious are the content and form of the poem and Dickinson's clever use of poetic devices. Specifically, the next few pages will argue that the content of the poem is meant to emphasize the inevitability of death and how it does not have to be feared by stalwart Christians; the poem's content also captures how the slumber of death will seem like a mere night's rest to..."

Tags:dickinson, emily, death

Abstract
This is a short essay on the short story by John Cheever, "The Swimmer." It gives 3 specific reasons why Neddy Merrill, the main character, is an atypical Grail Hero (according to an essay on the story by Blythe and Sweet): the circular nature of Neddy's quest - to return home after swimming through all the waters of his county, the presence of the modern, disposable, meaningless world throughout the story, and the isolation that Neddy himself feels in this existentialist retelling of the Grail myth.

Tags:fisher, king

Abstract
This three part essay contains three responses to questions posed on the topics of ethics/morality, faith/belief, and God. The first response makes the case that evolution and morality can indeed progress simultaneously; the second response makes the case that faith/belief can come from abstract as well as logical origins and the third response is a support of the critique of tautological (circularly reasoned) religious theory.

From the Paper
"The threat to morality posed by evolution has been regarded classically to be a revelation among the masses of the fallacy of socially inculcated ethical mores and beliefs. The argument is that if society fully realized the implications of biological evolution and Spencer's "survival of the fittest," then many individuals would make completely self-centered..."

Tags:ethics, faith, god

Abstract
This paper provides a summary and critique of Descartes argument for the proof of God in his "Meditations." Each paragraph describes an aspect of Descartes' argument and refutes it through showing his flaws in logic or fallacies. The next section of the essay summarizes each of the Meditations and their main point and critiques them in a similar fashion.

From the Paper
"Rene Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy" contain six of the philosopher's Meditations that reveal his rationalism or belief in human reason as the means of discerning absolute truth. In each of these Meditations, Descartes provides a foundation for "Meditation III" in which he provides proof for God's existence. In other Meditations, Descartes provides us with his method of doubt, his method of reason or logic and other concepts like mind-body dualism. Descartes' proof of God's existence is based on his logic known as the..."

Tags:existence, God, thinking, dualism, mind, body, perception, senses, analogy, circular reasoning, Cartesian dilemma