Descartes And Descartes s Theories Of Skepticism And...

Every person has a unique answer to so-called life questions, but experts like Blaise Pascal and Rene Descartes have examined and reasoned with the norms of the enlightenment era. The theologians and philosophers during that time have produced such popular works that they have been used as a foundation for reason today. In Pascal s Pensees, and Descartes’ Discourse on Method, they take steps to examining and reflecting on their own answers to life questions. If Pascal and Descartes conversed with each other about skepticism and searching for the truth, their approaches would be different and highly critical of each other, but their conclusions would be the same. A life question is one that produces an answer entirely dependent on the individual. Descartes wrote a Discourse on Method, which is his philosophy on how to answer such questions. Pascal wrote Pensees, which is his thought process on how to answer them as well. Both Pascal and Descartes address the issue of skepticism in opposing ways. Descartes, as a skeptic, produces a thinking process to analyze doubt until the truth is found. Pascal takes a more critical approach to skeptics and reveals that â€Å"a genuine skeptic has never existed.† A skeptics argument to find one s purpose through natural reason is not possible, but that God will give you faith through your heart, according to Pascal. Descartes begins his journey for reason by reaching an intense state of thought. By locking himself in a room, he landed on aShow MoreRelatedSkepticism On The Search For The Truth Of Our Knowledge1936 Words   |  8 Pages Skepticism in the Search for the Truth of Our Knowledge How many times have you said, â€Å"No way, I do not believe it!† It is our natural tendency not to believe in something that we have not seen with our own eyes or experienced it personally. There is a saying, â€Å"seeing is believing† which has led us to a world full of skeptics. We want proof so we are not gullible fools. Skepticism, or scepticism, as it was spelled back in the ancient times, was pondered by philosophers who tried unsuccessfullyRead MoreDescartes Vs. Descartes s Theory Of Certainty1852 Words   |  8 Pagesof the greatest philosophers in history, Renà © Descartes tackles the daunting task of ensuring what is truly certain in life using a systemic thinking process known as methodological doubt in his Meditations on First Philosophy. In order to determine what is absolutely certain, Descartes concludes that the foundation which even reality sits upon is not firm since most of what contributed to its certainty is based on sensory perception. However, Descartes proves that even the senses can be deceivingRead MoreDescartes s Theory Of Knowledge1778 Words   |  8 PagesDescartes’s theory of knowledge is essentially based in skepticism. 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One is that the proof is complicatedRead MoreHow the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution Led to a More Secular and Democrtatic Society1437 Words   |  6 Pagesinfluenced and shaped our society but never has more change occurred than during the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution. We leave the middle ages a society of Kings and feudal life and emerge with the beginnings of modern political theory. The Renaissance was a defining moment in history where old became new and ideas on science, nature, and education flowed like a rushing river. The impact on authority was great and lasting in its effect to the world. Great men began toRead MoreBranches of Philosophy8343 Words   |  34 Pageshas been the challenge posed by skepticism and the relationships between truth, belief, and justification. †¢ Ethics, or moral philosophy, is concerned with questions of how persons ought to act or if such questions are answerable. 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How does society live with perpetual innovation that, in changing the shape of its environment, also transforms its attitudes, morals, values? If the prime effect of change i s more change, is there a limit beyond which we will not be able t o go withoutRead MoreImpact of Science on Society38421 Words   |  154 Pageslinks the strangest, most disparate elements, bringing together the m o s t unlikely combinations in unex pected ways t o create a new world. Is there a pattern t o change in different times and separate places in our history? C a n change be forecast? How does society live with perpetual innovation that, in changing the shape of its environment, also transforms its attitudes, morals, values? If the prime effect of change i s more change, is there a limit beyond which we will not be able t o go without