Camus’ philosophical beliefs are evident throughout his first work, The Stranger. Meursault, much like Camus, believes that many things in the world just exist, with no explanation or reason. The philosophy that our reality is nonsensical and illogical is a reoccurring motif through the story with Raymond Sintes one point exclaiming “It’s just that I’m here, and you are there and I’m shaking. I can’t help it.” (Camus 37). Meursault is also described as being very dismissive to the outside world, “Looking back on it, I wasn’t unhappy.
To understand truth we must be completely sure of it, this requires a rational method of inquiry based on doubt. Methodical doubt involved deliberately doubting everything possible in the least degree whatever remains will be known with absolute certainty. For empiricism we have the belief that all knowledge is of the senses. We are a tabula rasa, a blank slate, that all ideas start with sensation and reflection, we can only think about something after we have experienced them. Although both the empiricists and rationalist both came to the same problem how could we ever know anything outside of our own perceptions.
I disagree with certain idea and issue Rene Descartes argues about in his passage. His beliefs of skepticism at points were valid at times but every human has a right to believe, do anything or create what they want to believe in their mind. To make it feel real is up to the person because we control our emotions which control our mind set to think if we are being trick to having ten fingers or to believe there is no god that created this world we call earth. The scope of knowledge in this reading "Meditations on first philosophy" by Rene Descartes is the truth of doubt. Doubt causes people to believe that you do not know something when you actually do.
Innate knowledge is a view (that rationalists share) that claims that humans are born with information about the world which isn’t learned through sense experience, we gain this knowledge a priori. Empiricists (like John Locke) say that innate knowledge and ideas do not exist, when we are born the mind is a tabula rasa (blank slate) and we gain knowledge and Ideas through sense experience and if we have no experience of the world therefore it is impossible for us to possess any knowledge. Kant argues that we need innate knowledge and sense experience. Kant was a transcendental idealist. He was an idealist in the sense that we are aware of the real world and a transcendent because he thought that ultimate reality goes beyond our sense experience.
The aberrant perspective of Gilgamesh which I am presenting may seem divergent and atypical when analysed in accordance to our modern values and principles, but to Gilgamesh this would be quite natural. The values and ethics that contemporary readers hold shape their perspective of characters as they respond in various ways to the adventures that said characters undertake. A perfect example of this is when the narrator speaks of the state of Uruk and says “No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all”. From this, the contemporary audience frames Gilgamesh as an immoral tyrant, as their value of free will is being challenged. However, Gilgamesh’s intentions were in the interest of the people, as he moulded the sons into warriors to protect the city.
Alex Griffiths AO1: Examine the main features of the cosmological argument (21) AO2: Comment on the view that the weaknesses of the cosmological argument show it is a failure (9) The cosmological argument is an a posteriori argument based on the existence of the universe. The argument is based on the fact that the universe exists but is also based on the assumption that there must be an explanation for its existence and that this explanation is infact God. Thomas Aquinas is the scholar behind this argument and he believed that everything we observe today has a first mover and therefore there has to be a first cause (a first cause) in order for the universe to exist. The argument concludes that this first mover is God. Infinite regress is rejected by this argument, it argues that there has to be a first cause, and explanation for the existence of the universe.
The main character Equality 7-2521 struggles to reconcile his inquisitive nature in contrast to the world he lives in which he has been conditioned to believe truths given to him by the ruling elite. Free will is manifested in the novel, when characters such as Equality 7-2521 becomes skeptic and begin to reason everything that they have been told. Equality 7-2521 achieved free will by, firstly, his desire to know, by deep thought and questioning widely held truths of his collective society. Secondly, Equality 7-2521 acted on his skepticism and acquired knowledge through his love of science. Lastly, Equality 7-2521 achieves free will by going on his journey of self discovery.
The Truth, often right in front of us is avoided subconsciously. Many curious people never arrive to an answer no matter the situation to simple problems. Nonetheless, The Allegory of the Cave written by Greek philosopher, Plato, tried to answer such questions. Plato believes that humans can only learn through open-mindedness, travelling from imagination to understanding. The Allegory of the Cave symbolizes the psychological struggle one faces, what could happen, and how it would be perceived to those still stuck in the balance.
All Gods are thus externalized forms, magnified projections of the true nature of their creators, personifying aspects of the universe or personal temperaments which many of their followers find to be troubling. Worshipping any God is thus worshipping by proxy those who invented that God.”
We are capable to reach every bit of interesting information and appreciate its value according to our conviction. It is up to our judgment to decide whether we discard the information as useless or the opposite. But David McCullough claims that learning is totally different from the dry knowledge information has to offer. It indicates civilization through poetry, art, or religious texts. On the contrary the memorization of data is never enough and facts alone can rarely lead to the objective truth.