Arriving at Truth - a Two Way Street
Autor: Tim • December 17, 2017 • 993 Words (4 Pages) • 887 Views
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Descartes states in part six of Discourse on Method that he is unsure whether or not to publish his ideas. He stated, “…my inclination, which has always made me hate the business of writing books, immediately made me find enough other reasons to excuse me from it,” (Descartes, 34). He was very much conflicted as to what the reaction of the public would be to his work. Descartes believed that his principles could benefit others enormously, especially in the medical field. This is the driving force that encourages him to publish his work. Descartes seemed to be adamant about publishing his work for altruistic reasons only, and his hesitance to publish supports this claim. William James grew up with heavy support from his family. He initially wanted to be a painter, but left his profession after only a year. James anticipated heavy criticism from mainstream philosophers and those who read his published work. He heavily defended himself and, unlike Descartes, was unyielding to his beliefs. (IEP, 1995).
In our everyday lives, the truth may seem easy to grasp. For philosophers Rene Descartes and William James, the road to truth is much more complex. Descartes’ method of doubt was essential to the foundation of his beliefs. His philosophy was that nothing could be true unless it is first doubted and proven to be true. For James, the truth could only be true if it had first been verified to serve a greater purpose. Both philosophers accepted that others had different schools of thought, and that the meaning of truth had to be taken apart and studied. Although they had different methods of arriving at the meaning of the word truth, they both successfully published their ideas and will forever be held in high esteem in the world of philosophy.
Works Cited
Descartes, René, Donald A. Cress, and René Descartes. Discourse on Method ; And: Meditations on First Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 1998. Print.
James, William. "The Life of the Mind: Readings for PHIL 1000." By Scorza, Jason A. Scorza, Fairleigh Dickinson University. XanEdu Custom Publishing, 2 Oct. 2015.
Fieser, James, and Bradley Dowden. "Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.
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