Epistemology, Metaphysics, & Reason
Rene Descartes is one of the world’s most famous philosophers that influenced the way people see the world and make meaning out of it. Many of these theorists’ ideas were considered to be authentic and radical. For instance, he was the first one to question human existence and, eventually, created a statement “I think therefore I exist,” which significantly impacted contemporary philosophy and people’s life. Since epistemology highlights the role of knowledge in life, it is essential to understand how reason is explained by Descartes.
The philosopher’s explanation of reason is largely connected to the idea of skepticism. This concept refers to the feelings of uncertainty and doubts that individuals possess about specific objects or people and the world in general. With the help of skepticism, Rene Descartes tried to explain the nature and characteristics of reason, which is the process of developing logical explanations and drawing conclusions (Pritchard 49). He used doubt as a means of redefining human knowledge and answering the most skeptical equations that exist in the external world (Pritchard 49). Hence, without the concept of skepticism, Rene Descartes would not be able to create his own explanation of reason and human life in general.
Metaphysics is a critical branch of philosophy that concerns the foundational principles of tangible objects as well as abstract concepts and explains their nature. This concept aims at providing people with a clear structure of society and discovering how perceptions, ideas, and reason are established (Pritchard 48). Consequently, it can be stated that metaphysics helps to understand the concept of skepticism in terms of “what is” and “what is not.” While the first philosophical idea investigates various objects and processes with considerable attention to their qualities and distinguishing features, the second term doubts these principles and proves what is real and what does not exist.
According to Descartes, the reason is totally objective and possesses no subjective qualities. The concept of objectivity explains the idea that tendencies exist, and situations happen while being independent of the human mind (Pritchard 48). Individuals have no power over the perceptions they create since every event occurs autonomously. Due to the fact that the philosophy of Rene Descartes provides answers to the questions of life and human existence through careful investigation and doubt, there is no room for subjectivity. Everything has to have a logical explanation independent of personal perceptions and worldview.
Epistemology, Metaphysics, & Empiricism
The concept of epistemology claims that knowledge is essential for people because it helps them to understand the world better. For this reason, it is crucial to discover various philosophies and apply them to society’s daily life. David Hume is a Scottish scientist, economist, and historian who provided people with his individual understanding of the universe and encouraged them to gain more philosophical knowledge. Nowadays, Hume is widely known for his influential ideas that concern empiricism, naturalism, and skepticism. Therefore, it is important to discuss how David Hume is skeptical of reason by way of causation.
One of the fundamental ideas of David Hume is the fact that the relationship between cause and effect cannot be proved to be real or appropriate. The connections between two objects or situations can be easily denied because these are just assumptions that cannot be supported rationally (Rana). Therefore, Hume’s problem with causation relates to the concept of empiricism. In philosophy, this theory derives from the belief that all thoughts and ideas are based on experiences and are applicable to the situations that can be encountered (Rana). Since knowledge comes only from experiences, there are no other ways impressions can be traced and, thus, causation is not real. In addition, empiricism can also explain habit since Hume believed that perceptions develop as a result of habits developed in response to encountered situations and personal experiences.
As well as Rene Descartes, Hume was a skeptic; however, his beliefs were slightly different. He claimed that to be skeptical means to doubt both the self and other people and to indicate the benefits and flaws of personal arguments and the ideas of various individuals (Rana). While some professionals claim that his skepticism is extreme, it is highly connected to the ideas of progress and understanding the limits of reason and logic (Rana). Therefore, Hume’s skepticism is a significant advantage for metaphysics in terms of “what is” and “what is not” because it allows people to make proper judgments and reject false ideas.
David Hume is one of the philosophers that is associated with the problem of induction. The theorist states that it is impossible to create a conclusion about a specific set of impressions (Rana). While deduction allows individuals to arrive at an outcome with complete certainty, induction only gives a possibility to state possible conclusions that might be true (Rana). Consequently, it can be noted that the problem of causation and the problem of induction are interconnected since they point out the uncertainty human beings face. Furthermore, since it is impossible to prove that the relationships between cause and effect are authentic, the conclusions of a particular situation can only be probable.
Works Cited
Pritchard, Duncan. Skepticism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2019.
Rana, Zat. “David Hume: Balanced Scepticism.” The Ladders, 2018, Web.