Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Essay

Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes’ third meditation from his book Meditations on First Philosophy, examines Descartes’ arguments for the existence of God. The purpose of this essay will be to explore Descartes’ reasoning and proofs of God’s existence. In the third meditation, Descartes states two arguments attempting to prove God’s existence, the Trademark argument and the traditional Cosmological argument. Although his arguments are strong and relatively truthful, they do no prove the existence of God. At the start of the meditation, Descartes begins by rejecting all his beliefs, so that he would not be deceived by any misconceptions from reaching the truth. Descartes acknowledges himself as, â€Å"a thing†¦show more content†¦Descartes is able to examine ideas and gain knowledge form them. Innate ideas mean they are present at birth, in other words we are implanted with certain ideas at our creation. He often uses ‘innate ideas’ to explain the mind’s original programming. â€Å"An infant’s mind is programmed with the rules of logic. Consider as an example the valid rule, modus ponens. Let P and Q stand for variables†¦ the rules states that, if P then Q is true and P is true, then it follows that Q is true. We know that we are programmed with this rule because young children, who have never studied logic and have never entertained the rule, when given an argument in which the variables above are replaced by actual sentences, are able to in tuit the validity of the argument.† Descartes believed our minds are programmed with eternal truths, â€Å"Whatever comes into existence must have been brought into existence by something else.† He also discovers that the idea of God is only part of his initial programming but also that God, operating through secondary sources such as his parents, is the programmer. Adventitious ideas are created by outside objects but Descartes, â€Å"points out that, even if his adventitious ideas are produced by external objects, he has no reason for believing that his ideas resemble the objects which produced them.† Descartes believesShow MoreRelatedRene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy1234 Words   |  5 Pages In Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes does and experiment with wax to try to prove that things actually exist in this world. This essay is going to prove how we can tell that things actually exist and what can perceive the wax. Rene Descartes starts off with a description of the wax so he can prove to us the changes that will happen throughout his experiment. â€Å"Let us take, for instance, this piece of wax. It has been taken quite recently from theRead MoreMeditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes Essay839 Words   |  4 PagesPrà ©ciso of Meditations on First Philosophy Through his series of books, Meditations on First Philosophy, Renà © Descartes enlightens his philosophical ideas about knowledge in which we should discard all belief we aren’t absolute certain about and establishes what we know for sure. In the introduction he clarifying the main ideas of each of the 6 books and using to them build up to his belief. Starting with the First Meditations, he discusses about doubt. He believed that there are no real foundationsRead MoreThe Meditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes916 Words   |  4 Pages The Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes is a thorough analysis about doubt. Descartes describes his method of doubt to determine whether he can truly know something. One of his major arguments is the proof of the existence of God. In this paper, I will attempt to unravel the flaws in Descartes proof that God exists. In the meditations, Descartes evaluates whether or not everything we know is a reality or a dream. Descartes claims that we can only be sure that our beliefs are trueRead MoreMeditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes1062 Words   |  5 PagesIn Meditations on First Philosophy, Renà © Descartes philosophies made a substantial advancement in enabling us to understand the world around us by querying many of the Aristotelian doctrines that are still being discussed in philosophy today. He attempts to answer the question; can you fully trust your senses? Descartes uses methodological doubt, which is a process of being skeptical about truths of someone’s belief to revoke from his senses. In Meditation One: Concerning Those Things That Can BeRead MoreRene Descartes Meditations On First Philosophy1758 Words   |  8 PagesPerhaps the most startling conclusion reached by Renà © Descartes in Meditations on First Philosophy is his proposed disconnection between the Mind and Body. Striving to separate the spiritual from the corporeal to enable scientific examination of the earthly without interference from the divine, Descartes conceives that the two basic human substances, Mind and Body, are distinct and therefore able to exist separate of one another in his [in]famous claim of substance dualism. His conclusions rest uponRead MoreEssay on Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes1561 Words   |  7 Pages In his work, Meditations on First Philosophy, Renà © Descartes writes to rid pre-conceptions, and disprove all belief in thoughts that are not certain, accepting only what can be known for sure. In his Meditation VI: Of the Existence of Material Things, and the Real Distinction between the Mind and Body of Man, he discusses his belief that the mind and body are two separate substances, claiming that the nonmaterial mind and the material body, while being ontologically distinct substances, causallyRead MoreRene Descartes s Meditation On First Philosophy802 Words   |  4 PagesRenà © Descartes objective in Meditation on First Philosophy is to construct philosophy as a solid methodical study and discipline alike the sciences. To do so he must first suspend belief in all things doubtful and from their go about verifying the true concepts of the world. In meditation II he verifies that he is a thinking thing and finds that the certainty of the cogito â€Å"I think therefore I am† lies in the distinct perception of what he affirms. From this he generates a general rule of evidenceRead MoreEssay on Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy2121 Words   |  9 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Descartes believes that knowledge comes from within the mind. This is a single indisputable fact to build on that can be gained through individual reflection. While seeking true knowledge, Descartes writes his Six Meditations. In these meditations, Descartes tries to develop a strong foundation, which all knowledge can be built upon. In the First Meditation, Descartes begins developing this foundation through the method of doubt. He casts doubt upon all his previous beliefs, including â€Å"mattersRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy 1399 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy Essay 1 Rene Descartes was born in in La Haye, France, in 1596 and he studied at La Fleche Jesuit College and University of Poitiers. Descartes also lived in Germany, Holland and Sweden. He then worked in the army as a private councillor and then as a court philosopher. Descartes book ‘Meditations on First Philosophy’ was first published in 1641. The edition used to write this essay was edited by John Cottingham and was published by the Cambridge University Press in 1996. Descartes wasRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy1066 Words   |  5 Pageswhat is reality? Among these writers were Renà ¨ Descartes and George Berkeley, who respectively argued that everything perceived must be real due to God being unable to deceive, and that the physical world only exists in one’s mind. In my view, it is not certain that the physical world is real, but one should act as if it is. Renà ¨ Descartes, in Meditations on First Philosophy, wrote each section after successive â€Å"meditations.† In Descartes’s first meditation, he claims it is unable to be proven whether

The Sexting Phenomenon Essay - 1198 Words

Cell phones are common objects found in the pockets and bags of almost everyone one in the world. Recently, cell phones have been getting teens and adults into trouble. Most individuals send and receive text messages. The newest trend among some individuals is â€Å"sex-texting† or â€Å"sexting.† Sexting is a dangerous yet contagious phenomenon contaminating the lives of teens and adults all over the country, if not the world. This phenomenon can have serious consequences. Even after surveying 1300 teenagers, one in five say they’ve sexted, although they know that it could be a crime (Feyerick and Steffen). Sexting is a growing epidemic and the only way to prohibit its growth is to develop close relationships with the kids of today’s†¦show more content†¦Not only can sexting get attention, but it can also be used as a tool to get a man interested, if not already interested. A woman who has sexted before claimed that sexting is just anothe r tool in the arsenal to flirting (Tapper). In that same article, another woman said that sexting â€Å"lets your inner woman out. (With your cell phone) you can be the freakiest, dirtiest and most sexually uninhibited woman around.† This same woman also claimed that sexting is â€Å"another tool in the arsenal to stay on his mind 24/7† (Tapper). Teenagers see sexting as high-tech flirting as well (Kingston). Sexting isn’t just something to do while bored or to get attention, but it’s also used to stay on the mind of his or her lover all the time. Although it is a useful tool to get on someone’s mind, sexting can alter, if not destroy, the perception of how we look at the human body. It can be a piece of beauty that we should care for, or it can be a piece of garbage that we can toss to whomever we’d like. Sexting is degrading the image of the body. Kids and even some adults need to know about the importance and beauty of the body. If we teach the sexting population about how to care and respect the body, then maybe we can decrease the amount of people sexting (Rede). But, part of the problem with this solution is that some individuals fell they already know about the importance of the body and they don’t think that way. Instead,Show MoreRelatedTeenage Sexting Essay631 Words   |  3 PagesThe act of sexting has many negative consequences. The number of teenagers whom participate in sexting is rapidly increasing. Sexting has become a widespread phenomenon that has destroyed lives and has caused emot ional distress to many teenagers and young adults. Sexting gives teenagers the feeling of acceptance and the chance to be popular by gaining attention but what they fail to realize is the attention they are receiving is negative and it affects their reputation. Once a sext message has beenRead MoreGender, Gender And The Media1501 Words   |  7 Pagessex. These representations of media can influence the general public s perception of the different genders. Sexting is a prevalent hot spot in recent years which is connected to gender and digital media. People usually use their cellphones to send sexually suggestive messages including naked images or dirty pics and words to their partners. For adults, it is clear that sexting is a phenomenon that is not constrained to simply unattached individuals looking for fun, it is used by those in intimate relationshipsRead MoreSexting: Virtual Abuse of the Human Body Essay1293 Words   |  6 PagesSexting: Virtual Abuse of the Human Body While the increased access to technology over the recent years provides almost every consumer with new communication tools at his or her fingertips, it also leads to negative effects. â€Å"Sexting† has become extremely popular, especially among teenage consumers. This new action is said to be any sexually explicit messages or pictures between cell phones. Sexting has become so emotionally and physically dangerous that there have been cases where suicide or otherRead MoreSexting : A Part Of Their Sexual Engagement Essay1702 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: (200 words) Sexting among teenagers has become a part of their sexual engagement with each other over the last decade. Sexting refers to electronic communication between people in a sexual context via written text, naked pictures or partly naked pictures between participants that send and receive sext messages. It seems that the mainstream perception is that sexting brings about risky behaviour among this young demographic. Research supports that, however, not enough research hasRead MoreSexting Among Teenage Girls and Boys1435 Words   |  6 PagesOver the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion and debate over the topic of sexting. It has become a widespread phenomenon, the number of teenage girls and boys, men and women who participate are rapidly increasing, and with this too comes the rise of moral panic within societies. Individuals within the communities are becoming more and more fearful, afraid and shocked at this new form of youth culture hysteria. Although young people ‘expressing’ their sexuality has become much moreRead MoreTechnology Is The Answer On Technology966 Words   |  4 Pagesbut it’s actually stunning it. My generation is using technology for all the wrong reasons; sexting, texting while driving and walking, social media and video gam es etc. In recent years the new phenomenon among teens has been sexting. To try and take control of this the court systems have started to charge teens for sexting. Just in September a North Carolina Teenage couple faced felony charges for sexting. Studies show that 39% of all teens have said that they have sent sexually suggestive messagesRead MoreMedia Representation Of The Body1510 Words   |  7 Pagestheir age and produce explicit images. The desire to be in a relationship, like those seen in media, quickly lead to the sexting phenomenon among young adult. But a majority of these teens do not realize the legality of doing such things, and lawmakers quickly attempted to control the situation. So as legislations attempted to form to protect children, about the â€Å"phenomenon of ‘sexting’, which appear[ed] to be caught between debates on the sexual rights of children and the role of the state in protectingRead MorePrivacy : Privacy And Privacy1504 Words   |  7 Pages which their families are exposed, children could be exposed to pornography or other inappropriate content. Cyberbullying on social media is linked to depression in teenagers, according to new research that analyzed multiple studies of the online phenomenon. Victimization of young people online has received an increasing level of scrutiny, particularly after a series of high-profile suicides of teenagers who were reportedly bullied on various social networks. In 2013, for example, a spate of suicidesRead MorePornography Research Paper1128 Words   |  5 Pagesthey view. Many suffer from psychological effects, social effects, legal issues, or religious implications. Here we will look into the research that has been performed globally on pornography and what has been discovered because of this growing phenomenon. Among a very religious and sexually conservative population in Indonesia, we are still very easily, able to see the effects of pornography. Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation (90% of population) with very strict laws against pornography consumptionRead MoreThe Negative Effects of Social Networking on Teenagers1547 Words   |  6 Pagesminute of essential academic study, approximately every 3 minutes student are distracted by social networking sites. The more sites they opened on their gadgets, the more time they wasted, and it appearances on their worse studying performances. This phenomenon does not happened only with high school students; collage students also have direct impact on their academic works, too. Another study of freshman women in collage illustrates that freshman women spend approximately 12 hours using social media,

Mississippi Burning Free Essays

The 1988 movie â€Å"Mississippi Burning† directed by Alan Parker, is loosely based on true life events surrounding an FBI investigation that followed the 1964 murder of three civil rights activists by members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in a small Mississippi town.   The investigation led to the conviction of some prominent figures in the town including members of both the sheriff’s and mayor’s offices who were also members of the KKK. The movie documents the methods used by the KKK to control the black community at that time. We will write a custom essay sample on Mississippi Burning or any similar topic only for you Order Now    The well masked intimidation, violence and murders of black people in the community by the KKK must be seen as acts of terrorism and therefore, the unorthodox methods employed by the FBI to uncover the crime can be justified as necessary and appropriate given the circumstances. The movie portrays a war waged by the KKK against non-Anglo Saxon people in the South during the early 1960’s.   Blacks, Jews, Catholics, Turks, Mongols were all targets of the KKK.   In fact, the list of unacceptable races or origins was extensive, but in the South at that time, the main target of KKK aggression was black people. The KKK used violence, intimidation and coercion as means of controlling the black people and creating a culture of fear in the community.   So effective were these tactics that even non-racist members of the community, such as the deputy’s wife in the movie (played by Frances McDormand), who were sympathetic to the plight of the black people, were afraid to speak up or voice their opinions for fear of backlash and reprisal. While an all-encompassing definition of terrorism is difficult to pin down, the Jackson, Mississippi Division of the FBI defines terrorism as â€Å"the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.† The United Nations goes further to state that terrorists are usually clandestine and that â€Å"the immediate human victims of violence are generally chosen randomly or selectively from a target population, and serve as message generators.†Ã‚   Based on these definitions, it is clear that the actions of the KKK were indeed terrorism.   The violence perpetrated by the KKK against the black people in the community was unlawful, intimidating to the civilian population, anonymous (KKK members wore cloaks), and random means of sending a message to the larger population. In the movie, two very dissimilar FBI agents head the investigation into the disappearance of the three activists.   In the beginning, the investigation is lead by Agent Ward (played by Willem Dafoe), a young, very correct and by-the-book northerner.   He does not understand the unwritten rules of the South and therefore, his methods fail to yield the results that he hopes for or has achieved elsewhere in his short but successful career. In fact, his investigative techniques actually jeopardize the safety of the black people in the area because the KKK, watching every move the FBI make, go to great and sometimes violent lengths to make sure no one speaks to the investigators.   Agent Anderson (played by Gene Hackman), on the other hand, is from Mississippi and understands more about the culture of the South.   Only when he employs more extreme and rather questionable methods that mirror the methods of the Klan themselves, do the FBI close the case and convict the killers. If the KKK is to be classified as a terrorist group, then it must follow that all members of the Klan assume some of the responsibility for the crimes they committed.   In the case of this film, one could extend the guilt even further to include the entire community.   It was clear that the actions of the Klan were cruel, deadly and well known amongst the townsfolk and yet almost everyone stood back and allowed them to continue their reign of terror.  Ã‚   In light of the greater good therefore, the FBI were justified in taking the actions they took to stop the KKK and thus hopefully curtail further violence and intimidation in the community. The atrocities committed by the KKK against non-white members of the community were more than crime.   These actions were terrorism and all members of the group played a role in perpetuating the terror.   We are all responsible for hatred. References Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jackson Division. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2006 from http://jackson.fbi.gov/cntrterr.htm Definitions of Terrorism.   United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2006 Zollo, Frederick and Robert F. Colesberry. (Producers), Parker, Alan. (Director). (1988). Mississippi Burning [MotionPicture]. United States: MGM.       How to cite Mississippi Burning, Essay examples