Paper Example on Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy

Introduction

The analogies presented by Plato in regards to mind-body relations are eminent dualists of the Western tradition. He raised questions and methods that have formed a basis for the culture of western philosophy. Plato, the Athenian philosopher, presented a classic articulation in regards to the distinction between reality and appearance. He recorded the information before the development of the universal skepticism which turned out to be a general school of thought. He finished by providing a way to achieving knowledge of reality. Plato relied on the rational aspect of a school of the reason that should work in the independence of the ordinary senses. His findings recorded specific elements of philosophy that were expounded by later philosophers such as Descartes. The essay illustrates how Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy determines the footnote towards Plato and their positions on the Mediations and footnotes.

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During his first meditation endeavour, Descartes thought of all possible falsehoods he had embraced in his life. In his right mindset, he thought whatever he held onto was a reality. However, he resolves to disregard everything he has ever known so that he can have a better understanding of what he can affirm as true. Descartes makes it clear that everything he thinks he knows has developed through his sensory experiences (Descartes 68). He has taught himself to perceive sensory experiences as valid. While dreaming, his senses take charge of telling him what is he should believe in. The likelihood of experiencing whatever he conceives while dreaming makes him incapable of questioning the inspirations behind his senses. The discovery that his dreams can mislead his senses makes him disbelieve everything he previously knew to evade the chances of falling into deception.

The Meditation is relevant to Plato's allegory of a cave. Plato presented a set of vital ideologies under the title The Allegory of the Cave. He started off by giving his take on where most people belong. Most people live in caves with their faces distanced from the fire. The fact that Descartes' life is dictated by senses which form a reality for him is an indication of life in a cave. People who live in a cave are in a position to see solely shadows of objects that tend to move behind them. Because they cannot see anything real on their side, they tend to consider visible shadows as real objects. They usually put the strenuous effort in watching and identifying probable details about the shadows (Plato 210). The first meditation makes it clear that Descartes could not see any further truth beyond his sensory experiences. Plato footnotes depict how people are interested in having an opportunity of escaping and leaving the cave. However, they need to start by accepting to lose their accessibility to light, specifically the natural source of light before gaining knowledge about real objects and realizing the probable absurdness of their previous shadow discoveries while locked inside a cave. The positions and indications by Plato have been documented in Descartes' first meditation as he makes a decision to denounce everything he has ever known with the hope of seeking the truth.

The primary interpretive challenge and its relationship with Descartes first meditation endeavour arise in need to explain the meaning of all elements entailed in Plato's allegory of the cave. The shadows that Plato uses in explanation of Mediations in the footnote are appearances that people's senses present to them. The part of his narration that indicates the generation of shadows by illuminated objects from other rays of light and the sun that shows real things offer a lot of lessons but in an indirect manner (Plato 296). The process of moving out of the cave entails an individual's capability to cease their reliance on senses as core guidelines to reality. Such position on footnote is the exact course that Descartes decides to take.

In his second meditation position concerning the footnote, Descartes establishes a line of thought about identity. He considers ideas, both perfect and imperfect as components of memory and belief systems. The appearances reflected in mind differ from the reality of things in the world. Notably, a disconnection is inevitably created between practical experiences and the mind. A proper balance necessitates a bridge between experiences and the mind, which can be developed by defining the 'I' or 'ego.' Descartes concludes the second meditation by referring to himself as a thinking being. The two main aspects that have been acknowledged in Descartes' second meditation are the distinction between reality and appearance, and the need for reason. The mediations position corresponds to Plato's narrative position as he proposed the faculty of reason as a better approach towards reality. The school of logic puts an individual in an epistemic exposure to actual and real elements of truth and allows them to understand the extent of the differences of appearances from other components that caused them. Plato noted that truth involves real ideas acknowledged by making philosophical inquiries (Buckle 302). Descartes in the second meditation relied on philosophical queries in trying to uncover reality. Notably, Plato developed a rational system and presented it in a way that readers are capable of understanding through different appearances. The people's perception is quickened by the view that any thinker's intellect can uncover reality.

The content of Descartes position on two meditations is a direct representation of Plato's philosophical viewpoints that are relevant to the footnote. In striving to define the 'ego,' he relies on the process of logic. His choice of applying logic concurs with Plato's perception and position concerning the mediations. Plato divided the human soul into the reason, spirit, and desire element. He pointed out that thinkers have a powerful reason element that dominates over the spiritual and desire element (Southwell 24). The reason element is an aspect that Descartes relies on in developing his ideologies in establishing his position in relating footnote to mediation. Furthermore, Plato noted that the only way through which individuals can be capable of reaching a state of reality is through the incorporation of reason or logic. Reasoning manifests as a result of doubt. Doubt develops in the formation of a logical process during instances of deception. Pure thinking starts after the demolition of all possible opinions. This process is replicated in Descartes first and second meditation. Notably, Plato's ideologies formed a solid ground for the development concerning the tradition of western philosophy.

Conclusion

The distinction between reality and appearance is and has always been a significant aspect of philosophy. Such analogy expounds on the complicated relationship between truth, theories of knowledge, and ontology. The connections between the three components strive to provide answers to all epistemological distinctions (Buckle 304). Such factor forms a basis of any philosophical endeavour. Philosophy guides people in knowing the nature of reality that all people have access to, which manifests in the form of appearances. Informing a basis for Western philosophy, Plato divides his response to the question of reality and presence in three ways. They include complete detachment from reality, closeness to reality through presentations and rejecting the appearance. All the responses have formed a foundation for modern thinkers such as Descartes in their quest for the truth. Notably, history of western philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato.

Works Cited

Buckle, Stephen. Descartes, Plato and the Cave. Philosophy, 82, 2007.

Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy (2nd Edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print.

Plato. Republic (2nd Edition). Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, 1992. Print.

Southwell, Gareth. A Beginner's Guide to Descartes' Meditations. Hoboken, NJ: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Print.