Abstract
This paper examines how in "Meditation II" Rene Descartes states that he is a "thinking thing" (Descartes 16-18). It analyzes what Descartes meant by this statement and how it has worked into Descartes other meditations on truth, reality and existence.

Tags:descartes, thinking, thing

Abstract
The paper examines the philosophy of Pascal, Montaigne and Descartes through a textual analysis. By observing the subjective reasoning that both of these philosophers imply, one can realize why they choose an inner relativity in relation to the truth. Although the truth in philosophy always questions the objectivity of truth in normative "Enlightenment Era" philosophy, Pascal, Montaigne and Descartes agree that the human mind can perceive truth within its own reasoning apparatus. The paper explains that in essence, Montaigne and Descartes agree on the subjective will of the mind that reveals the pattern of truth in human thought.

Tags:montaigne, descartes, pascal

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 discusses how Descartes' Grand Project was a good idea because identifying and establishing philosophically certain beliefs was necessary in order to provide a solid foundation upon which to base sound philosophical theories. It further explains that Descartes understood that if the foundation was flawed, everything that rested upon it would be flawed, so he formulated his method of doubt in his Meditations on First Philosophy in order to establish a solid foundation he and other philosophers could rely upon. The paper then reports that in considering material provided in Meditations I through IV, it is evident that Descartes' purpose was to systematically question everything he had believed up to that point, logically test its veracity, and subsequently identify unquestionable truths.

Tags:descartes', grand, project

Abstract
This paper argue that Descartes' argument of the mind having ascendancy over the body is correct from a scientific point of view. The author points out that the mind is made up of electrical impulses and energy is essentially infinite. The paper agrees with Descartes ultimate conclusion although some of Descartes methods for arriving at that conclusion are not considered valid.

From the Paper
"In this essay, I argue that Descartes' argument of the mind having ascendancy over the body is correct. Speaking strictly from a scientific point of view, of course, Descartes is correct. The body is flesh, and therefore finite. The mind, however, is made up of electrical impulses and energy is essentially infinite. Therefore, long after the body has gone the impulses that made up the mind will have converted into another form of energy and still exist in our world's system."

Tags:descartes, wax, argument

Abstract
This paper is an examination of Descartes book, "Meditations on First Philosophy." The author examines the steps that Descartes took in order to prove his hypothesis that God is a deceiver. He examines three different proofs and shows how Descartes comes to these realizations only after a careful and logical thought process in which he tears down and rebuilds everything that he believes in.

From the Paper
"Now he bases the rest of his proof off of these three observations. Because he has been convinced that something comes from something, the idea he has of God had to have been created by something, either himself or something else. He then states that he is finite and imperfect, and thus he cannot have an idea of the infinite and perfect on his own. He, being finite and imperfect, is not as powerful as the thought he has of an infinite and perfect God. Therefore, because he is not powerful enough to create this idea, it must have come from some other source."

Tags:descartes, god, proof, existence, logic, argument, observations, definition

Abstract
This article examines the way in which Descartes has become incorporated into popular culture in a number of ways. The writer discusses the way how Descartes and his philosophy has influenced advertising. The writer describes that this is a process that has tended to distort the essentials of Descartes' philosophy.

From the Paper
"Despite the fact that Rene Descartes has fundamentally influenced modern Western culture and traditions, people are relatively unaware of the nature of his contributions. As has been the case with other great Western artists and thinkers, Descartes has become commodified. People only know about his philosophy to the extent that he has been successfully used to sell things: either the idea of philosophy itself or some product. Just as the Mona Lisa seems at this point to have been used to sell nearly everything, Descartes' declaration that I think ... "

Tags:dualism, descartes, nike, advertising

Abstract
This paper describes Rene Descartes' use of Aquinas's five ways of knowing that God exists, identifying God's perfection as the major thrust of Descartes' ontological argument in defense of God's existence.

From the Paper
"Rene Descartes in the Third Meditation draws upon arguments advanced earlier by St Thomas Aquinas to demonstrate that God exists. Having declared himself to be a thing that thinks that is to say that doubts .."

Tags:Descartes, Thomas Aquinas, God, First Prime Mover

Abstract
Nativist thought, that which focuses on the idea that there are some "innate ideas existing prior to concrete experience (Fancher, 26), allows for the existence of archetypal knowledge and a communal unconscious. Empiricism is a philosophical doctrine that asserts that all knowledge is derived from experience. According to the empiricist, all ideas are derived from experience. Nativism, as espoused by Descartes, requires that the soul be embodied with knowledge and experience prior to association with the body.

Tags:PHILOSOPHY / DESCARTES, descartes locke nativist

Abstract
Rene Descartes, in his Meditations on First Philosophy, addresses a wide variety of questions, from nature of the self and perception, to the demonstration of the existence of the world and of God. However, his argument in these Meditations begins at a point of radical scepticism concerning the existence of the universe and the nature of reality. Central to this argument is the idea of Cartesian dualism, or the separation of rational intellect from the body and the senses. In this context, this paper will argue, through a examination of various facets of Descartes' argument, that in the final analysis Meditations on First Philosophy retains a measure of this scepticism in its refusal to accept the position that knowledge may be acquired by the senses. 4 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source.

Tags:descartes, limitations, senses