Descartes Vs. Pascal Essay - 1172 Words

Descartes vs. Pascal nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;For centuries, human beings have been debating over the validity of the use of reason. This is a very, very difficult subject to discuss, as one is forced to study something which is at that moment being used in their study. Two classic thinkers who contrasted on their view of reason were Descartes and Pascal. Though both saw reason as the primary source of knowledge, they disagreed over the competence of human reason. Descartes, the skeptic, said that we could use reason to find certain truth if we used it correctly, while Pascal said that we cant know certain truth, but reason is the best source of knowledge that we have. Descartes: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Reason is the tool†¦show more content†¦This is a very useful step, because I can take my idea that a perfect being (God) exists. Since this idea is greater than myself, there must be a perfect being who has caused this idea in me. Continuing on, if there is a perfect God, than I can logically deduce that a perfect being would not give me a deceptive faculty. If we do not have deceptive faculties, than we can know for certain that we can trust our senses with certainty. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The certainties that I have arrived at by starting with the one certainty can be known with complete certainty because they were arrived at using rational, logical reasoning. It is true that we can doubt that God exists, yet this skepticism is superseded by rationality. We used a rational argument which is based upon certainties; therefore, we know with 100% certainty that God exists. Pascal: Rene Descartes must realize that our world is not like mathematics. As I have stated, â€Å"Let man consider what he is in comparison with all existence; let him regard himself as lost in this remote corner . . . What is a man in the infinite?† (Pascal, #72). How can we expect to gain a grip on certain knowledge when we cannot even grasp where we are in relation to all of reality. Descartes was right in saying that reason is the basis of all of our knowledge, but he must realize that we have severe limitations in our use of reason. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;We have beenShow MoreRelatedDescartes vs. Pascal1177 Words   |  5 PagesDescartes vs. Pascal For centuries, human beings have been debating over the validity of the use of reason. This is a very, very difficult subject to discuss, as one is forced to study something which is at that moment being used in their study. Two classic thinkers who contrasted on their view of reason were Descartes and Pascal. Though both saw reason as the primary source of knowledge, they disagreed over the competence of human reason. Descartes, the skeptic, said that we could use reasonRead MoreDifference Between Faith And Knowledge1561 Words   |  7 Pagesupcoming paragraphs. I will briefly explain the argument of Pascal’s wager and the reasoning behind it. Is there a God? Should I believe in God? People think about this question everyday. Pascal is famous, among other things for his wager argument. It was a groundbreaking theory at that time. It’s basically a risk vs reward argument. Pascal’s theory is that it’s better to believe in God, even without reason than it is not to believe, which you can stand to lose significantly. Atheist haveRead MoreModern vs. Pre-modern Essay example1064 Words   |  5 PagesModern vs. Pre-modern There is one simple way to classify the difference between the modern and the pre-modern, and that would be to separate them by years. Unfortunately this would not be cut and dried; it would be a rough estimate because no one really knows when the change took place, or if there even was a change. What is known for sure is that things did change. The â€Å"â€Å"moderns† (became) set against â€Å"ancient† modes of thought and practice† (Shapin, p. 5), and this led to a so-called scientificRead MorePascal’s Wager vs. the Ontological Argument2450 Words   |  10 PagesPascal’s Wager vs. the Ontological Argument Pascal’s Wager was a groundbreaking theory posed by the French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist Blaise Pascal. Pascal, who is said to be the father of modern probability, felt that that religion should be approached as a gamble. It was one of the first efforts to incorporate the concept of infinity. The wager stated that, even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, one should wager as though God exists, because livingRead MoreBill Nye Vs Ken Ham1661 Words   |  7 PagesBill Nye VS. Ken Ham Rain Shi Ken Ham is a Christian who established a creationist museum, he insisted the Earth still young. Ken Ham said: Today, there is too much influence of the theory of evolution on children, we need to take the child back to the correct view of the world in this debate, and it is a good opportunity to let people know more about God, and the spread of the Gospel. Ken Ham s position is creationism. He believes that people are not evolved, because God created human, andRead MoreTo Know About France, and Its History, Culture, French People and Democracy in France5199 Words   |  21 Pagesthem: Claude Monet, Victor Hugo, Antoine de Saint-Exupà ©ry, Jeanne dArc, Napolà ©on Bonaparte, Louis Braille, Louis Pasteur, Gustave Eiffel, Jean Cocteau, Gustave Flaubert, Jean Paul Sartre, Voltaire, Paul Cà ©zanne, Paul Gauguin, Blaise Pascal, Franà §ois Jacob, Blaise Pascal, Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Jean Reno, Jean Rochefort, Pierre Cardin and more. These days French people place a lot of importance on their appearance of. It seems that the fashion has influenced them all. They look at othersRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pages------------------------------------------------- Essentialism vs. Existentialism Essentialism: A belief that things have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, amp; that the task of science and philosophy is their discovery amp; expression; the doctrine that essence is prior to existence While, Existentialism:A philosophical theory or approach, that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free amp; responsible