Descartes’ Context: Method, Crisis, and Modern Philosophy
Context of Descartes
Part Two: Discourse on Method
The Discourse on Method is René Descartes’ major work, outlining the rules and features he investigated.
Part Four: Discourse on Method
The Discourse on Method establishes the grounds for the existence of God and the human soul, foundations of his metaphysics.
René Descartes was born in 1596 in La Haye, France, during an absolute monarchy. His mother died shortly after his birth. He studied at the Jesuit college of La Flèche and studied law, but found
Read MoreUnderstanding Nietzsche’s Main Ideas
1. Introduction
The path followed by European man, marked since the days of Socrates and Plato, is a closed path. If Hegel collects, maintains, and integrates all the spiritual history of the West into his system, Nietzsche, instead, undergoes a devastating criticism and denies it as metaphysical.
2. The Worldview: The Birth of Tragedy
Art, not science, is the best expression of life. Tragedy reveals the true nature of reality: the Apollonian and the Dionysian. With Socrates, the tragic wisdom is lost.
Read MoreUnderstanding Metaphysics: Principles, Reality, and Human Existence
Metaphysics as First Philosophy
The analysis was the object of first philosophy, which was the initial term for what we now call metaphysics. The object of first philosophy was the study of the fundamental principles of reality and of all that exists. As Aristotle stated, first philosophy analyzes the features of reality and seeks to identify their first principles and causes. It considers concrete realities, but does not remain confined to them, analyzing the broader issues that explain why a thing
Read MoreEmotional Intelligence and Human Resources Management
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence allows us to control our own feelings, understand and deal with the feelings of others, and be effective and satisfied in life. It involves:
- Knowing our own emotions.
- Managing emotions: Liberating ourselves from anxiety, irritation, and melancholy.
- Motivation.
- Empathy.
- Acting according to the relationships of others.
Human Resources (HR)
HR deals with all aspects of the human factor in an organization. Key HR roles include:
1. Organizational and Personal Planner
This
Read MoreNietzsche’s Critique of Platonic Dualism
Relation to Other Philosophical Positions
Platonic Relationship
- Reality (Ontology)
Plato’s ontological dualism:
| Known By | Characterized By | Nature | State | Associated With | |
| Real World | Reason | Objective | Immutable | Eternity | The Good and the Soul |
| Apparent World | Senses | Subjective | Changing | Birth, Life, and Death | The Bad and the Body |
In contrast to Plato’s dualism, Nietzsche argues that the only reality is the present, the here and now. He believes Plato’s “real world” is an invention of reason, a result of human decadence.
- Knowledge
Hume’s Associationism: Ideas, Causality, and the Self
Hume: Associationism and Ideas
Regarding simple ideas, all originate from copies of our simple impressions. These impressions, combined with current perceptions, form mental representations. This principle establishes a criterion for validity.
Complex ideas can be copies of complex impressions or the result of combining simple impressions through imagination. The imagination combines simple impressions to form complex ideas, sometimes following laws and regularities, where one idea leads to another.
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