Modern Philosophy: Reason and Liberty
Modernity: Reason and Liberty
The Problem of the Two Substances
There are no absolute truths, but appearances and illusions. Calderón believed life is a dream and the world a great theater. Pascal stated that human life is nothing but perpetual illusion, disguise, lies, and hypocrisy. This context discards rationalism and utilizes doubt as a method. It doubts all dogmatically established truths to find an undeniable truth: I think, therefore I am. With this proposition, thought, conscience, and human
Read MoreUnderstanding Human Nature: A Philosophical and Religious Inquiry
Humans
Introduction: Anthropology
The complexity of human beings has been analyzed across religious traditions, philosophy, and science. Each era has sought to understand human prehistory and the nature of consciousness. Humans become aware of their complexity by observing similarities and differences in relation to other beings. This self-inquiry is reflected in myths, religions, philosophical thought, and scientific exploration.
1. The Human Body and Soul in Religious Thought
Perhaps the experience
Read MoreWittgenstein’s Philosophy: Language, Meaning, and Reality
The Problem of Knowledge: Epistemology
Wittgenstein sought to understand the limits of meaningful language and certain knowledge. He believed that philosophy’s attempts to argue everything without proving anything necessitated defining the boundaries of language and its relationship to reality and human thought.
First Phase (Tractatus)
In his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, Wittgenstein championed the principle of isomorphism: a logical relationship between reality and language that allows us to talk
Read MoreRationalism and the Method of Doubt: Descartes’ Philosophy
Rationalism and the Search for Certainty
The rationalist’s primary goal is to establish a reliable method for thinking, acting, and reconstructing human knowledge based on mathematical principles. This method adheres to specific rules:
Rules of the Method
- Evidence: Accept only clear and distinct ideas as true, rejecting those that are doubtful or confused.
- Analysis: Reduce complex concepts into simpler, undeniable truths (intuitions).
- Synthesis: Build complex arguments and deductions from these simple
Knowledge and Ethics: Plato vs. Aristotle
Theory of Knowledge
Plato’s Rationalism
For Plato, sense knowledge was misleading, and the senses hindered access to the truth of Ideas. His rationalist theory of knowledge posited that only reason could reach truth. He believed in the Theory of Reminiscence, which states that reason knows the Ideas from birth.
Aristotle’s Empiricism
Aristotle’s theory of knowledge contrasts with Plato’s. It is an empirical theory, asserting that all knowledge begins with experience. There is no innate knowledge;
Read MoreA Comparison of Descartes, Ortega y Gasset, and Nietzsche
Comparison
Descartes vs. Ortega y Gasset
Descartes aims to achieve a certain knowledge base. The cause of pluralistic thought is not based on reason but on the method. Descartes is convinced that human reason, unique to all men, can arrive at the truth. The instrument to distinguish truth from falsehood will be reason. Descartes seeks a timeless, absolute knowledge, blind to historical events. Ortega changes this pure or utopian reason for a reason that arises from life itself: vital reason. The error
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