Rationalism - Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz - 1731 Words

Rationalism is the principle that maintains that through reason alone we can gain at least some positive knowledge of the world. The three major rationalists, Rene Descartes, Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Welhelm Leibniz, used this idea in order to defy skepticism and expose the true nature of reality. However, each philosopher is frequently in disagreement. The idea for ‘God’, and what constitutes substance, matter and reality are the four key structural beliefs that aid each rationalist in the forming of their arguments. Yet, it is these four concepts and the arguments behind them that cause the inconsistency found in rationalism. The idea that reason can provide positive solutions to the various questions put forth is made doubtful†¦show more content†¦So, relatedly, the monad must not only exhibit properties, but contain within itself virtually or potentially all the properties it will exhibit in the future, and also contain the trace of all the properties it did exhibit in the past. In Leibnizs extraordinary phrase, found frequently in his later work, the monad is pregnant with the future and laden with the past (Monadology, p22). All these properties are folded up within the monad, and they unfold when and as they have sufficient reason to do so. (Monadology p61) The network of explanation is indivisible - to divide it would either leave some predicates without a sufficient reason, or merely separate two substances that never belonged together in the first place. Correspondingly, the monad is one, simple and indivisible. Everything we perceive around us, which is a unified being, must be a single monad. Everything else is a composite of many monads. My coffee cup, for example, is made of many monads (an infinite number, actually). In everyday life, we tend to call it a single thing only because the monads all act together. My soul, however, and the soul of every other living thing, is a single monad which controls a composite body. Leibniz thus says that at least for living things we must posit substantial forms, as the principle of the unity of certain living composites. MyShow MoreRelatedKant vs Aristotle1314 Words   |  6 Pagesthings exist. The traditions of Plato and Aristotle have been dubbed rationalism and empiricism respectively. Under these traditions many well known philosophers have formed their own theories of God, existence and the material world. Through these individual theories I will show how each fits into the category of either Rationalist or Imperialist. The Plutonian p hilosophers to be discussed will include Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. And the Aristotelian philosophers will include Locke, Berkeley andRead MoreThe Influence of Rationalism on the French Revolution1509 Words   |  7 PagesBen Jorgensen Professor Wakefield English 5 3 April 2013 The Influence of Rationalism on the French Revolution What was the driving force behind the French Revolution? Many people may say it was financial, or political, and while I would agree that these things were part of the force that propelled the French Revolution, I would assert that the philosophies of the Enlightenment were the dominant force that blasted late eighteenth century France into revolution . In his article, â€Å"The FrenchRead MoreRationalism vs. Irrationalism1607 Words   |  7 PagesRationalism vs. Irrationalism Jane Evans was spending a week at the Crown Point Ward girls camp. She and her friends were laughing and enjoying the crisp night air. They giggled and talked of crushes on boys and gossiped all night about the notorious girls at school. 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Rationalism is perspective which engage s the rational and deductive reason, an opposite structure from personal experience or teachings as the foundation of knowledge or rationalization. Therefore, the concept of rationalism relies on the knowledgeRead More Descartes Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pages In the early 17th century a philosopher named Descartes, questioned his existence. His life was dedicated to the founding of a philosophical and mathematical system in which all sciences were logical. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Descartes was born in 1596 in Touraine, France. His education consisted of attendance to a Jesuit school of La Fleche. He studied a liberal arts program that emphasized philosophy, the humanities, science, and math. He then went on to the University of Poitiers whereRead More Skepticism and the Philosophy of Language in Early Modern Thought3317 Words   |  14 Pagesearly XVIth century has been considered one of the major forces in the development of modern thought, especially as regards the discussion about the nature of knowledge and the sciences. Richard Popkin in his History of Skepticism from Erasmus to Spinoza (1979) has shown that skeptical arguments were influential in the attack against traditional scholastic conceptions of science, opening the way to the development of the new scientific method. The dispute between those who embraced skepticism andRead MoreThe Contributions Of Descartes And Hume3394 Words   |  14 PagesThe contributions of Desca rtes and Hume towards the issue of establishing: the existence of God Introduction: Arguments for and against the existence of god have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists and others for thousands of years. In Philosophy, these arguments involve primarily the disciplines of Epistemology and Ontology and can be categorized as metaphysical, logical, empirical, or subjective. The epistemic arguments place different restrictions on our ability have knowledgeRead MoreChomsky s Theory Of Human Language1362 Words   |  6 PagesChomsky’s philosophy of language shows a clear influence of rationalistic ideology, for his theories reflect rationalistic ideas of a priori knowledge, manifested in innatism as well as nativism. Philosophers such as Rene Descartes, Gottfried Leibniz, Plato, Immanuel Kant, and Spinoza, greatly influence his philosophical work. Chomsky questions the remarkable speed of language acquisition, devoid of certain sorts of errors one would prima facie expect. Chomsky proposes that the language faculty is part