Plato and Descartes
Cephalus defines morality and justice as praying to the gods in the correct manner. However, Socrates argues that, rather than an active practice of goodness or justice, Cephalus is merely trying to morally shield himself from ill consequences of his acts, acting out of fear rather than justice or virtue.
Q2.Thrasymachus defines justice as might making right, namely that justice is merely determined by whomever is stronger in the society at a particular point in time, against which Socrates argues that to argue for such a self-serving manner of government would be as to argue that a physician exists merely to serve his own health, rather than the health of a patient.
Q3. A thing may be good in reason, spirit, and appetite -- a distinction made by Socrates to set up the need for a threefold caste system in the ideal society.
Q4.For Glaucon, it would be foolish for a stronger person to enter into a social contract, and for a weaker person to refuse the protections of civil society.
Q5. The three divisions of the soul, of reason, spirit and appetite mimic the ideal social classes of the ideal society. The guardians or philosophers represent reason and are thus the ruling classes, followed by the military auxiliaries who are representative of spirit and protect the guardians, and the human appetite are represented by those who work with their hands like farmers, artisans and people of trade.
Q6. The only thing Descartes cannot doubt, assuming a radical skepticism, is that he thinks, -- that there must be a mind doing the doubting. Cogito ergo sum cannot be doubted. Thus, I think, (first thing that cannot be doubted) therefore I am (second thing that cannot be doubted, for thoughts do not exist in a vacuum.)
Q7. After doubting the existence of God, Descartes goes on to prove God's existence as the originator of the thinking being that is engaged in the 'cogito' process.
In other words, yes he has found doubt in everything, but he now sees that his finding doubt in everything is something. Because he doubts, he must exist! He could doubt everything his senses told him. He could even doubt he had a body. But he could not doubt he had a mind because if he did not have a mind, how could he doubt? The steps Descartes takes to
Perfection might exist in a more general picture, one that brings together imperfect beings and where everyone contributes to making flawlessness. According to the Meditator, people have to focus on society and the world as a whole instead of only being interested in themselves. God's perfection is, according to the Meditator, translated into humans through the fact that they have free will, both God and people being unlimited from this
And on the same principle, although these general objects, viz. [a body], eyes, a head, hands, and the like, be imaginary, we are nevertheless absolutely necessitated to admit the reality at least of some other objects still more simple and universal than these, of which, just as of certain real colors, all those images of things, whether true and real, or false and fantastic, that are found in our consciousness
If this is true, then thoughts that mankind form -- principles of morality and knowledge of a rational life -- are determined solely by reason because the Creator allowed Man to have that capability which then must mean that the capability produces truth. To prove these ideas, Cartesian Rationality asks the reader to take formal steps into the manner of analysis and development within the ideological process. In six
In stark contrast, these things do not happen in the 'waking' world (LaBossiere 2). While there are many other differences, these two standards show that even though I might not be able to know the true natures of these two worlds, there are good reasons for assuming that the "waking" world is fundamentally different from the "dream" world. Given this ability to distinguish "waking" from "dreaming," it must be
" With that statement, Descartes proves his five-step theory that proves he exists because he is, in his words, "a thinking thing." Third Meditation have explained at sufficient length the principal argument of which I make use in order to prove the existence of God," Descartes claims. He claims that the idea of God is placed in us by God and that, if he (Descartes) exists there must have been a
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