Descartes’ Discourse on the Method Essay Example for Free

Descartes’ Discourse on the Method Essay None of the proposed philosophical theories is exact, not even a combination of two or more theories (Sayre, 2011). However, Descartes has unique way of metaphysical argument concerning existence of God. Descartes’ Discourse on the Method (Part IV) ends surprisingly with a claim of God’s existence, which can be deduced from the interrelationship between mind, soul and our existence. Descartes began the fourth section by discussing about himself. The reading up to the point where he gives credit to a supreme being, God, could only suggest that Descartes was discussing about his philosophical thought about his being as a man. However, the discourse twist came when he inferred, â€Å"something indeed having every perfection of which I could have any idea, that is—to explain myself in one word—by God† (Bennett, 2007, p. 16). After this inference, the discourse changed to one that discussed the existence of God. It was at this point that it became clear that the ending would be more of God’s existence rather than a conclusion of Descartes as a human being. The change of discourse from exploration of self to a proof of God’s existence through personal evaluation was indeed an ingenious thought. Most of the times we try to prove existence of God or lack thereof by evaluating what are outside us. However, Descartes made a self-evaluation on intrinsic values of himself as a human being. By deconstructing his strengths and limitations, he was able to realize a fair conclusion about the existence of a supreme being, which we refer to as God. Therefore, the ending was different but offered a concise conclusion on God’s existence despite starting on a different discourse. References Bennett, J. (2007). Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting one’s Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences. Retrieved from http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdf/descdisc.pdf Sayre, H. (2011). The Humanities Culture, Continuity, and Change: New York: Pearson College Div.

Natural Law :: essays research papers

Natural Law The School of Natural Law Philosophy was an intellectual group of philosophers. They developed new ways of thinking about religion and government. Natural law was based on moral principles, but the overall outlook changed with the times. John Locke was a great philosopher from the middle of the 17th century. He was a primary contributor to the new ideas concerning natural law of that time. He argued that humans in the state of nature are free and equal, yet insecure in their freedom. When they enter society, they surrender only such rights as are necessary for their security and for the common good. He also believed that each individual retains fundamental prerogatives drawn from natural law relating to the integrity of the person and property. This natural rights theory was the basis of not only the American, but also the French revolution. 1 During his lifetime, he wrote many essays and letters to his colleagues on a variety of topics:2 †¢ Letter on Toleration (1689) †¢ Second Letter on Toleration (1690) †¢ Two Treatises of Government (1690) †¢ Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) †¢ Some Considerations of the Consequences of Lowering of Interest, and Raising the Value of Money (1691) †¢ Third Letter on Toleration (1692) †¢ Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) †¢ Further Considerations Concerning Raising the Value of Money (1693) †¢ The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) †¢ A Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) †¢ A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) †¢ A Letter to the Bishop of Worcester (1697) †¢ Discourse on Miracles †¢ Fourth Letter for Toleration †¢ An Examination of Father Malebranche's Opinion of Seeing All Things in God †¢ Remarks on Some of Mr Norris's Books †¢ Conduct of the Understanding Locke's greatest philosophical contribution is his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. In the winter of 1670, five or six friends were talking in his room, probably in London. The topic was the "principles of morality and revealed religion," but arguments arose and no real progress or serious discussion took place. Then, he goes on to say, "it came into my thoughts that we took a wrong course, and that before we set ourselves upon inquiries of that nature, it was necessary to examine our own abilities, and see what objects our understandings were, or were not, fitted to deal with." At the request of his friends, Locke agreed to write down his thoughts on this question at their next meeting, and he expected that a single sheet of paper would suffice for the purpose. Little did he realize the importance of the issue which he raised, and that it would take up his free time for nearly twenty years.

Drawbacks Podcasting

Podcasts and webcasts are easy ways to present and distribute information to listeners all around the globe. However there are several drawbacks to this form of media. The drawbacks can be divided into two sections. The first section can be directed towards the process of recording and producing the webcasts. In order to record a webcast you must have: recording equipment, a quiet room, and time. The second section is focused on the persons listening to the webcast. The webcast is strictly auditory and must be accessed on some media device.This can become a problem because some listeners need more than just audio they need other forms of material to help them retain the information. Also because webcasts must be viewed through a mp3 player or computer this can cause a distraction because of the temptation of using the device for something else. Recording and producing is the most difficult area of any webcast. To record a quality webcast that listeners will enjoy and respond to the p roducer must execute the following three steps: the correct recording equipment, a quiet recording area, and an abundance of time to prepare for recording.The equipment required is very important because it will greatly increase the effectiveness of the webcast. The equipment needed is a microphone, recording software, host website and high-speed internet connection. Without purchasing all of the necessary components it will be impossible to record a quality webcast. The next drawback is the necessity of silence when recording. This can be a setback because any exterior noise in the webcast can cause listeners to become distracted and not retain the information being given.The need for a quiet proper recording area could cause additional investments to be made to reserve a recording studio or alternate recording site. The last drawback to webcasting is the amount of time needed to write a script for the topic chosen. It can take several weeks of preparation to research the topic and begin to process the information to write it into script form. The information given must be presented well to the audience so that it will be easy to follow along and process the information clearly. The drawbacks of the second section are mostly focused on the persons listening to the webcasts.The webcast is only broadcasted in audio form and requires the use of an mp3 player or computer. The limitations of webcasting can affect the listeners ability to comprehend and retain the information given. Not everyone can effectively listen and learn from strictly an auditory source of information. Certain people learn more effectively through hands on activities or visually or from reading the material. Because of this webcasting may not be the best medium for sending important information for others to comprehend.Also a webcast must listened to on either an mp3 player or a computer. These devices can become a distraction to some users. These electronic devices may tempt the listener to go off task and begin listening or viewing other material. This would cause the webcast to not fully be comprehended and some valuable information to be unheard. All in all webcasting is the future of efficient business practices but it is not yet perfected. With the correct managing of these drawbacks given, businesses could begin to cut costs and use time more efficiently.

Essay on Lesbianism Femmes and Lipstick Lesbians

Lesbianism is a real sexuality which is studied heavily, mainly because when something is not fully understood, the idea is looked into and conceptualized rigorously. Since the formation of religion, lesbianism has been looked upon as a sin; as technology has advanced and time has passed, people have slowly become more accepting. Heterosexuals often misunderstand lesbians, as do lesbians who judge others of the same sexual identity. Most people think all lesbians are the same, masculine women. However, that is not the case, sexuality is more fluid and lesbians, like the rest of us, are individuals. The lesbian community is diverse, and stereotypical misunderstandings, much like the ones that exist in the straight community about lesbians,†¦show more content†¦Being femme is really about sexuality and feminine power, and [they] just radiate femininity†¦ For femmes, femininity isn’t something you play with or apply with makeup. It’s at your core† (cite ). Sexuality is not as clear as it may appear to be; there are gray lines in sexuality, sex, and gender. For example, there are androdykes or androgynous people who are neither male or female. To further complicate things, androgyny refers to neither masculine nor feminine, rather more of a man-woman (Queer-ictionary). These ambiguous lines can upset, confuse, and anger other people because they do not fit in a clear cut box. Not all people pick a gender or an associated sex. There are many more explanations and examples of different types of lesbians and sexually ambiguous people, but these are just a few that are not normally mentioned. Today the term homosexuality is not appropriate because the negative connotation associated with it. First, the word homophobia is no longer used because it refers to something to be afraid of and was coined when people actually believed they could catch the gay (cite). Now it is widely understood that people cannot catch the gay. They realize how offending it is, so the accepted term used is sexual prejudice, which is an attitude about a group of people based on their sex, gender, and/or sexual orientation (cite Racheals class). Accompanying the fall out of the term homophobia, non-heterosexualsShow MoreRelatedHomosexuality : The Film And Tv Has Come A Very Long Way Since The 1920 S2055 Words   |  9 Pagesan interview with Arthur Laurents, writer for the film Rope, Robert Epstein notes Laurents saying that the film missed many elements to making the film’s characters actually represent their real life homosexual counterparts. In the early fifties, lesbians were also being attacked by the film industry, portraying them as bulldykes and troublesome neurotics. While the Hollywood was struggling to make topic of homosexuality in films more suitable for audiences, the film Victim made its debut in the