Essay on "Monist Ontology and Materialism: Back to Descartes"
Essay 3 pages (1254 words) Sources: 1+
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Monist Ontology and Materialism: Back to DescartesThis author has reviewed our authorities with regard to epistemology and ontology with regard to the questions of whether or not matter exists and how we can have knowledge of the outside world. Although the authors may not have stated it quite clearly, due to our location in space time, it is unavoidable that we will frame our knowledge of the world based upon what we know from our senses that are connected to that world. Unlike Plato, these philosophers can not resort to perfect forms. Like it or not, in their view, we are what we eat so to speak. Until we can eat antimatter, we are of this physical universe and will inevitably analyze it by using the stuff we are made of and the senses that flow from it. Indeed, for our philosophers, the stuff we are made of is primarily what it is all about. To paraphrase a 1960's aphorism, materialism is "where it's at."
While materialism and the deductive reasoning that flows from it is very useful, on the down side scholars such as Piaget claim that only 35% have the capability for fully intellectual thought (Huitt). Materialism falls short on the inductive reasoning that the 65% of remaining humanity depends upon to function in our real world. It also creates a spiritual void that limits humanity to considerations of the material to the exclusion of all else. This is one reason that this author believes Rene Descartes could not abandon a belief on God such as Thomas Hobbes did across the English Channel.
In the course, we have examined Descartes in his Meditations I and II, George Berkeley in Does Matter Exist?, Bertrand Russell in Appearance and Reality, Mark R
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Indeed, these philosophers are radical in that they basically believe only in what they could experience with their senses. While it is impossible in a three page paper to fully explore the chain of transmission of knowledge, the product of it is truly clear and phenomenal. The materialism of present day Socialism and Communism as well as our modern scientific methodology flows directly out of similar ideas, although the tributary that they come through is Thomas Hobbes instead of Rene Descartes (indeed, one might argue that Thomas Hobbes is the link in the chain due to his denial of the divine). This type of analytical framework is necessary in our modern scientific world. In our chain of transmission, philosophers such as Bertrand Russell have reached the place of… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Monist Ontology and Materialism: Back to Descartes" Assignment:
These are the exact directions given by my professor:
*****"For the first portion of this semester we and our author*****s have, in one form or another, worried the existence of the external world (that is, the world, if any, beyond our mind) and the possibility of our gaining certain knowledge of this world. That is, we have considered how, if it all, we could have knowledge of such a world (epistemology), and thereby answering the skeptical challenge. To answer this worry we have canvassed, in particular, the views of Rene Descartes (Meditations I and II), George Berkeley, (Does Matter Exist?), Bertrand Russell, Appearance and Reality, Mark Rowland, Keanu*****s Cartesian Meditations and Lorraine Code, What Can She Know? [NOTE: One or more of the authors under consideration may very well not have framed the issue in quite these words, *****How can we have knowledge of the external world?***** but they have used the idea to frame their discussion. So, even if they haven*****t framed the question quite so bluntly, they have utilised it in their philosophising.] As a part of their search for knowledge, our author*****s have also proposed, along the way, an ontology; that is, an answer to the question, *****What exists?***** Carefully detail the reasoning of all of our authors as they grapple with these two major questions in epistemology and ontology.
(HINT: A sterling answer to this question will both clearly set out the reasoning of our authors as they work through the topic they have set for themselves and will, in addition, clearly state the answers they arrive at.)
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“Monist Ontology and Materialism: Back to Descartes.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/monist-ontology-materialism-back/7069938. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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