¶ … Philosopher Rene Descartes wrote, "I think, therefore I am." While Descartes used this phrase to put into perspective his beliefs on the philosophical debate of existence, this quote resonates to most philosophical layman today as a motto for achieving anything that they may set their mind to. However, the manner in which one thinks -- positively or negatively -- also adds a great deal to what I perceive the quote to mean. In interpreting this quote in this manner, as I do, it can be used in conjunction with attaining certain life goals, including my own: to finish my career successfully, be a good professional, and above all be a good wife and mother for my family. In viewing these goals, one can also understand how these goals can be achieved and maintained in the long run through the application of Descartes' thinking and with positive thinking as a whole. Researchers note that an individual's psychological capital (a core factor consisting of hope, efficacy, optimism, and resilience) was related to...
Therefore, in embodying positivity through emotion and action, one is able to not only more capably and efficiently attain the goals they lay out for themselves. This idea is echoed in information from the Mayo Clinic, which notes "positive thinking that typically comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management . . . And is associated with many health benefits" (Mayo Clinic, 2011, p.1). In looking at the research provided, clearly there is a link between positive behavior and thinking and one's stress level, but the question remains: how can this help someone to achieve their goals?
Rene Descartes "I have never written about the infinite except to submit myself to it, and not to determine what it is or not..." Philosopher Rene Descartes Were he alive and intellectually active in these times of terrorism and uncertainty, of AIDS and anthrax and animal cloning, what would Rene Descartes be doing? Were he awakening these mornings in 2003 to recount his expansive dreams in writings, and generate his geometric formulae,
Descartes viewed that the whole of human knowledge was a tree, with each part relying on the others for the purposes of functioning - and, in a philosophical sense, validity. The tree's trunk was comparable to physics. The branches Descartes considered to be the applied sciences of morals, medicine, and mechanic. The roots of the tree provided support and nourishment to the whole of the system; these roots, Descartes
Hypothetical Scenario: The creation of a "sensory bar" and the First Meditation of Rene Descartes At the beginning of the "First Meditation" the French philosopher Rene Descartes takes a philosophical posture known as radical skepticism: he resolves to doubt anything that cannot be proven. After all, he rationalizes, he is aware of the fact that sometimes he is dreaming and since this is the case, might not all the world be
If at the moment of stating this theory, animals were simply regarded as mindless creatures, their current status has changed. A large number of organizations received state funds to investigate the lives of animals and came up with astonishing results. The researches developed concluded that most animals had a very active brain and could reach high level of intelligence and communication skills. As such, even if a large part
Descartes argues that the mind and the body must be two different things since he knows the mind exists but knows no such thing about the body. Spell out this argument. What's wrong with it, if anything? Give a counterexample to the principle implied here. Are other philosophers that we have read drawing conclusions about what the mind must be like based on what we know about the mind or how
Descartes' Major Tenets Descartes Major Tenets Descartes was one of the most well-respected thinkers of his time, and he applied his special brand of logic to a wide-variety of disciplines, most notably mathematics and philosophy. The Cartesian approach to philosophy, like many approaches to philosophy, looked at the interaction of the mind and the brain. Were the mind and the brain one united organism, did they interact with one another, was one
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