Essays on Principles of Philosophy

Traditional metaphysics (philosophy term meaning belief system about reality, particularly what's beyond physics) leads us to believe that the mind is the most basic facet of a person. Those with some philosophical background will remember Descartes' "Cogito Ergo Sum"-I think therefore I am—and his subsequent declaration that mind and body are split and that mind is the more important of the two because you are your mind. Your body is a vessel for the mind. It's called mind-body dualism or…

The enlightenment was not only a spark of culture but also a new wave of thinking for philosophers. Before the age of enlightenment, the popular belief system was one based solely on religion and a belief in god. This however was not the case as the age of enlightenment came to be. One of the philosophers who started the change away from this tradition was Rene Descartes. Descartes and his different ways of thinking provided fuel for the moment and…

He broadly talked about mathematics and physics, and has influenced many other philosophers. One of his most famous arguments was the Dream Argument. He believed that there is truly no way of differentiating between being awake or in a dreaming state. Hilary Putnam was another philosopher, who followed Descartes work. His theory suggested a brain-in-a-vat scenario, that our brains are controlled and deceived by another individual or thing. In the Dream Argument, Descartes considers the senses and their ability to…