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Continental Rationalism, 2005.
A discussion of the works and philosophy of Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz -- the key figures representing Continental rationalism.
1,347 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 7 sources, MLA, £ 27.95
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Abstract
This paper begins with an overview of rationalism and empiricism and then takes a look at the three key figures representing Continental rationalism: Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz. The paper then talks about the differences as well as the similarities in the works of the three philosophers.
From the Paper
"Continental rationalism argues essentially that the ultimate source of knowledge can be found within human reason. Further, Continental rationalism argues that truth can be deduced from our innate ideas, and mathematical proof ultimately became the model for rationalist investigation. This philosophical movement began in the 17th century with the work of the philosopher Rene Descartes, and spread through continental Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the philosophers who adopted Descartes' theories, or incorporated his ideas into Calvinistic theology, were termed as Cartesians. In contrast, a number of philosophers like Benedict Spinoza, and Gottfried Willhelm Leibniz adopted Descartes' ideas, and developed their own views within Descartes' overarching theme of human reason as ultimate source of knowledge (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Solomon). "
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Rationalism versus Empiricism, 2005.
A discussion of Descartes's philosophy of rationalism versus the philosophy of empiricism.
1,458 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 1 source, APA, £ 29.95
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Abstract
This paper explains Descartes's philosophy of the human mind and how his philosophy, which contends that the real self is based not in the nature of the material body but rather in the essence of thought, differs from empiricism, which contends that the mind is informed by experience in a learning process that is based on sensation and cognition. The paper concludes with the author offering his personal perspective of Descartes's rationalism and whether it is applicable to his life and experiences.
From the Paper
"Empiricism focuses on the perceived fact that synthetic theories are only possible through experience and are therefore also subject to doubt, since experiences can be illusory or deceptive. This essential doubt is also something that is recognized by rationalists like Descartes, who then categorized the doubt as the mutability and fallibility of the senses. In terms of the absolutism of mind/body distinctions, empiricists are more hesitant to ascribe the realm of theory or logic to the formation of any truth that could be seen to be absolute and unquestioned such as reason or the power of deduction. Some criticize rationalism for assuming that only self-directed introspection can truly decipher reality in any productive or reasonable way. Descartes? rationalism led to further theories by Kant and others. Most social theories are given some context epistemologically, even those that seek to synthesize and combine different aspects of rationalism and empiricism. The two theories are often seen to be philosophical absolutes in and of themselves in their respective relations to the human mind as a separate and holistic entity in its relationship to the body."
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Cartesian Rationalism, 2002.
A discussion of Cartesian Rationalism.
650 words (approx. 2.6 pages), 1 source, £ 15.95
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Abstract
This three-page undergraduate paper discusses Cartesian rationalism, explains what is rationalistic about Descartes' thinking, and reflects upon what Descartes hoped to achieve through philosophical reflection.
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Administrative Rationalism, 2005.
A discussion into the way that administrative rationalism relates to the environment.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 4 sources, £ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of administrative rationalism, which supposes that those in power within the environmental agencies of the country have a solid expertise in their fields. Furthermore, it suggests that these individuals have the relevant technical knowledge, the necessary authority, and will act in the public interest.
From the Paper
"Administrative Rationalism and the Environment The concept of administrative rationalism supposes that those in power within the environmental agencies of the country have a solid expertise in their fields. Furthermore, these individuals have the relevant technical knowledge, the necessary authority, and will act in the public interest (Howes). Administrative rationalism is directly related to the functions of the individual in the position of authority when issues relating to the environment are concerned, and the expertise that is considered viable for these individuals does not call upon outside sources to make determinations of policy. Howes contends that administrative rationalism exists in the areas of, o professional resource management bureaucracies; o pollution control agencies o regulatory policy instruments o environmental impact assessment o expert advisory commissions (Howes)."
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Rationalism vs Orthodoxy, 2005.
This paper discusses rationalism versus orthodoxy in the problem of the creation of the Qur'an.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, £ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the theological debate within Islam over the problem of the creation of the Qur'an. The writer discusses that this issue has sometimes been viewed as a conflict between reason and rationalism as represented by Mu'tazilite thought and traditional orthodoxy as represented by the Hanbalite school of thought. This essay examines the main points of disagreement.
From the Paper
"The theological debate within Islam over the problem of the creation of the Qur'an has sometimes been represented as a conflict between reason and rationalism (as represented by Mu'tazilite thought) and traditional orthodoxy (as represented by the Hanbalite school of thought). While this generalization has some points of validity, it does not capture the full complexity of the debate over the creation of the Qur'an, nor the significant implications of this difference for how Muslims understand the existence of God and his role in their daily lives."
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Galileo and Luther on Rationalism and Empiricism, 2008.
An analysis of the philosophies of Martin Luther and Galileo with regards to empiricism and rationalism.
2,032 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 3 sources, APA, £ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how, as the explanatory power of empiricism began to grow apparent, rationalistic modes of belief and dogmas began to conflict with the verifiable truths the empirical approach to knowledge was uncovering. The paper then discusses the different schools of thought from which these philosophies have emerged in the Western tradition. It particularly focuses on the philosophies of Martin Luther and Galileo.
From the Paper
"Evolution implied that humans possessed a common ancestry with all animals and even plants. It may have been a matter of interpretation as to whether the earth revolved around the sun or not, but the concept that man is an ape who has been gradually evolving for 3.5 billion years fits nowhere into traditional Christian beliefs. Consequently, the theory--although as close to scientific fact as any fact ever inferred from the natural world--has remained controversial and not widely accepted in the west. So, it has only truly been in the past century and a half that science and religion have come faced off in a battle of wills. Still, the argument should be moot: empirical evidence may indicate one thing, but if an individual is willing to believe in an all-powerful being, they must also acknowledge that such a being could configure the world in any way imaginable--just as Galileo's Dialogue concluded."
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Max Weber's Rationalism & the Law, 1996.
Examines concepts of rationality, ideal types, legitimate authority, social order, bureaucracy, charisma & applicability to 20th Cent. (Martin Luther King, O.J. Simpson case).
4,950 words (approx. 19.8 pages), 16 sources, £ 82.95
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From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine Max Weber's sociological theory of rationality and ideal types and the use of that theory as it applies to Weber's sociology of law. The plan of the research will be to set forth in general terms Weber's approach to social theory, and then to see whether and to what extent it is useful in explaining ambiguous social phenomena, particularly those that give rise to questions about the sociology of the legal system. To this end, reference will be made to certain legal ambiguities raised by illustrative cases.
No discussion of Weber's theory of the sociology of law would be complete without reference to his social theory in general and his multifaceted treatment of rationality in particular. Indeed, his treatments of society, rationality, and law persistently overlap and converge; Weber's thought is ..."
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Victorian Philosophical Anti-Rationalism, 2005.
A look at the anti-practical, anti-utilitarian philosophy of Matthew Arnold, John Henry Newman, and Walter Pater.
1,237 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 25.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the writings and critiques of anti-utilitarian and anti-practical philosophers Arnold, Newman, and Pater. The paper explains, compares, and analyzes each philosopher's arguments against the pragmatism and utilitarianism of the Victorian age and explains why Matthew Arnold's critique of utilitarianism was the most scathing of all.
From the Paper
"The Victorian era in England gave birth to Jeremy Bentham?s utilitarian philosophy of social governance, to the scientific philosophy of Darwinism, and to the application of scientific principles to social philosophy in the form of Social Darwinism. Perhaps this scientific and methodical era, an era that oversaw the full flowering of the Industrial Revolution?s stress upon machinery into the transformation into the human body and mind as a machine-like worker drone, inevitably spawned a kind of counter-revolutionary philosophy and ethos for the age?namely the idea and ideals that cohered and evolved over the course of the Oxford Movement, the Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic movement, and finally coalesced into the austere vision of the poet and philosopher Matthew Arnold."
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Descartes' Rationalism, 1993.
An analysis of the Descartes' "Second Meditation" on doubt, existence, mind vs. body, God and errors of perception.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 1 source, £ 23.95
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From the Paper
"Rene Descartes, in the "Second Meditation" from his Meditations on First Philosophy, declares that there is one proposition that he cannot conceivably doubt, namely, "I exist-" Ironically, Descartes settles on this declaration as the foundation for all his beliefs about existence and reality based on doubt itself. What Descartes is most fundamentally declaring is, I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am. His doubt, then, is the cornerstone of all he comes to believe about existence. He begins this meditation where the previous meditation left off --- in utter doubt about everything, accepting nothing as existing, owing to the possibility that he is being deceived by "a deceiver (I know not who he is) powerful and sly in the highest degree, who is always purposely deceiving me" (61). This doubt about everything's existence includes his own body. The..."
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Empiricism & Rationalism, 1987.
Compares & contrasts experiential & thought-based approaches to reality in philosophy, biology and psychology.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, £ 28.95
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From the Paper
" An analysis of the reviewed literature suggests that the dichotomies of authenticity versus certainty (Gibbs, 1979), inductive versus deductive, and abstract versus concrete (Weimer, 1973), etc., are opposites which exist on a continuum. Because they exist on a continuum, they are different aspects of a single, continuous phenomenon. Therefore, dichotomies such as inductive versus deductive reflect, not different realities, but different perspectives of the same reality. The perspective of the theorist, whether empiricist or rationalist, is thus(...)"
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Pragmatism and Rationalism, 2002.
This paper analyzes the concept of pragmatism by Charles Sanders Pierce and compares it with Descartes? notions of subjectivity.
1,265 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, £ 25.95
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Abstract
Charles Sanders Pierce is regarded as the father of Pragmatism. This paper sets this philosophy against the rationalistic and passive philosophy of Descartes. It describes how Pierce in his article "How To Make Our Ideas Clear" set out to clear the confusion about the notion of clear and distinct ideas in the traditional logic.
From the Paper
"This principle comes from the notion of fixing belief as a habit of thinking that tends to provide a suitable guide to action. Pierce start's his paper by criticizing the traditional logic for providing us with only neat terminologies about the notion of clear and distinct ideas. As he noted that a "clear Idea is defined as one which is apprehended that it will be recognized wherever it is met with and so that no other will be mistaken for it" (Descartes: Meditations). Pierce notes that this definition of clearness is just neatly crafted words and nothing, because it only amounts to familiarity of ideas and a subjective mastery, which may be entirely mistaken. A distinct idea on the other hand is defined as containing nothing, which is not clear. Pierce says that definition in not only circular but also it leads to the abstract definition of distinctness, which has nothing to do with the actual practical concerns. Pierce further says that it is now time to formulate new thought and a method of attaining more perfect clearness of thought."
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Analysis of the Californian Lottery Through Process and Rationalism, 1992.
An analysis of the installation of the California Lottery by examining the arguments of both the pro- and con- forces.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 6 sources, £ 23.95
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From the Paper
"Introduction
The California Lottery is today a well-established institution, seemingly accepted throughout the state, with millions of customers each week paying money to play a variety of games offering potential prizes up to several million dollars. The passage and implementation of the lottery in California can be analyzed according to policy formation with reference to the stakeholders involved and the arguments offered on both sides of the issue. The issue will be analyzes according to Process and Rationalism.
California is not the only state to institute a state lottery, and the fact that California has done so is in part a response to a perception of success in other states. Yet, this is also an issue that has raised serious questions regarding..."
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Rene Descartes, Rationalism, and Christianity, 2004.
A look at how philosophy fits within the tenets of Christianity.
1,518 words (approx. 6.1 pages), 6 sources, MLA, £ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper explains how the philosophy of Renee Descartes and, in particular, Cartesian dualism were accepted into the Christian theological viewpoint through the process of interpretation and integration.
From the Paper
"The problem addressed by philosophy is that man does not know things directly but gains understanding through the impressions (phenomena) of those things. Rationalism is concerned with the impressions made on the intellect, empiricism with those on the senses. Neither is truly able to 'know' the world directly. Rationalists believe that the world can be experienced intuitively through reason, using deductive reasoning to investigate the truth. Deductive arguments move from a generalization a particular claim. It's all very logical. Deductive arguments provide evidence through the auspices of reason."
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Thomism and Rationalism, 1995.
Discusses the rise of new scientific ideas in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Compares the Thomistic theories that preceded that era with the theories of Descartes, Newton, Locke and Rousseau.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 1 source, £ 43.95
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From the Paper
"The new scientific ideas of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries challenged the prevailing assumptions of the Aristotelian/Christian paradigm. Thomas Kuhn states that competing paradigms are "incommensurable," meaning they lack a common base for comparison. A paradigm in this sense is a shared set of understandings. Kuhn is attempting to explain the value, meaning, and nature of what he calls normal science, meaning research that is firmly based upon one or more past scientific achievements, or the achievements that some particular scientific community accepts for a time and that supplies the foundation for that community. Paradigms are achievements sharing two characteristics Kuhn identifies as essential: 1) their achievement was sufficiently unprecedented to attract an enduring group of adherents away from competing modes of scientific ..."
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