Premium Essay

Pascal and Descartes Paper

In:

Submitted By bigboi88
Words 316
Pages 2
Pascal vs Descartes Paper
Pascal’s argument is fallible because he reaches the conclusion that we should “wager” God’s existence, rather than coming up with “proof” by using deductive reasoning like Descartes provides in his argument. These early 17th century philosophers both provided writings defending the validity of the Christian religion and of God’s existence. After the Protestant Reformation of 1517, the Catholic Church’s sanctity was questioned. Different religions sprouted across Europe and citizens of Western Europe began questioning religion itself and the existence of God. Blaise Pascal and Rene Descartes each claimed to have a strong belief in Catholicism (or a denomination of), and because of this strong belief, they sought to defend the validity of the existence of God. Pascal wrote a collection of aphorisms which he started to revise into a writing he would call the “Apology of Christian Religion”. However, Pascal died before he was able to complete it. In Pascal’s Pensees (his writings were collected and organized in the 19th century and 20th century), Pascal systematically dismantles the notion that we, the people, can trust reason to validate God’s Existence. Pascal rambles on about what “we” can’t do to prove God, instead of finding his own proof of God’s existence. His approach to persuade us into believing God is to use mathematical equations and odds to reach the conclusion that it is worth it to a person to wager on God’s existence. Descartes on the other hand, uses deductive reasoning and a systematic approach in a philosophical treatise he called “Meditations on First Philosophy”. In “Meditations”, Descartes provides six meditations each provided a separate argument proving God’s existence and reaches the conclusion that God’s existence in undeniable (I will only use two and sum up the other three in my argument). Obviously neither was able

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Philo

...Name: Zamora, Cherry Lynn A. Section: N8 PRE-FINAL PAPER RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 1. Feeling of Absolute dependence by Schleirmacher * What I understand in Schleirmacher’s feeling of Absolute dependence is it’s our God-consciousness that arises from self-consciousness for being piety. It is our “utang na loob”, in this case it is a consciousness of the one to whom we are dependent—God. We have always this feeling of dependency that we owe our life to God. It is when we recognize the presence of God in ourselves, it also that start for us feel and practice religious experience. Like for example, whenever I achieve an accomplishment or a goal, I always make sure that I will go to church and thanked God for it. I have this feeling that I should thank Him for guiding me and helping me to achieve such success. It shows that i am self-conscious about the presence of God to me. 2. Mysterious Tremendum et Fascinans by Rudolf Otto * The Mysterious Tremendum et Fascinan by Otto is his concept of Numinous or numen or divine. It is composed of three parts, such as: Mysterious/Mysterium is the experience of wholly other, or the blank wonder. Next is the Tremendum which is the awefulness-it is the terror or unapproachability “wrath of God”, overpoweringness as the sense of one’s own nothingness in contrast to its power, the creature-feeling or the sense of dependence, and energy, the vitality and will which explain that the world is full of energy because of God. And...

Words: 1268 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

World History

...|Objectives | | |By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: | | |describe the scientific method and its effect on Western Europe | | |distinguish between the scientists Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Harvey and their works | | |compare the political theories of Hobbes and Locke | | |explain how science and philosophy influenced one another during the Enlightenment | | |explain the term enlightened despot, using the model of Frederick II of Prussia | | |Click here for the course glossary | | |Click here for a Timeline of The Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution | | |This lesson discusses European society between 1600 and 1800--an era marked by the power of ideas and rational | | |thinking. The term Scientific Revolution is used to describe the growing acceptance and influence of the scientific| | |method and the belief that...

Words: 7624 - Pages: 31

Free Essay

Maths

...Term Paper Mathematics NAME: BIPIN SHARMA ROLL NO: B59 SECTION: C1903 Conics Conic sections are the curves which result from the intersection of a plane with a cone. These curves were studied and revered by the ancient Greeks, and were written about extensively by both Euclid and Appolonius. They remain important today, partly for their many and diverse applications. Although to most people the word “cone” conjures up an image of a solid figure with a round base and a pointed top, to a mathematician a cone is a surface, one which is obtained in a very precise way. Imagine a vertical line, and a second line intersecting it at some angle f (phi). We will call the vertical line the axis, and the second line the generator. The angle f between them is called the vertex angle. Now imagine grasping the axis between thumb and forefinger on either side of its point of intersection with the generator, and twirling it. The generator will sweep out a surface, as shown in the diagram. It is this surface which we call a cone. Notice that a cone has an upper half and a lower half (called the nappes), and that these are joined at a single point, called the vertex. Notice also that the nappes extend indefinitely far both upwards and downwards. A cone is thus completely determined by its vertex angle. Now, in intersecting a flat plane with a cone, we have three choices, depending on the angle the plane makes to the vertical axis of the cone. First, we may...

Words: 2437 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Term Paper

...computers of today have their own histories. As I continue this term paper, you will be discovering the history behind the evolution of computers. B. Importance of the Topic - This topic is important to be known by the community because computers are very useful nowadays. As a student, knowing the story behind the evolution of computers is important in order for me to understand the computers more efficiently. For teachers, it is also important for them to know the history behind the evolution of computers because they also use computers in order to finish their jobs more accurately, making them aware of the computer’s history. II. Body of the Document A. Evolution of Computer in the late 16th century, the 18th century, and the early 19th century: 1. “Abacus was the first counting device, which is originally made from Asia. It worked on a place-value notion meaning that the place of a bead or rock on the apparatus determined how much it was worth. During the 1660s, John Napier discovered logarithms. Robert Bissaker invented the slide rule which will remain in popular use until 19th century. During 1642, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, invented the first mechanical digital calculator using gears, called the Pascaline. Although this machine could perform addition and subtraction on whole numbers, it was too expensive and only Pascal himself could repair it.” 2. “During 1804,...

Words: 14119 - Pages: 57

Free Essay

Philosophy

...used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production, Laurie Searl Marketing, Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mason, Richard, 1948– Understanding understanding / Richard Mason. p. cm. — (SUNY series in philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-5871-7 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5872-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Comprehension (Theory of knowledge) I. Title. II. Series. BD181.5.M27 2003 121—dc21 2003042557 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 for Margie Contents INTRODUCTION, 1 CHAPTER ONE WHAT WE UNDERSTAND, 7 CHAPTER TWO HOW WE UNDERSTAND, 21 CHAPTER THREE UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE, 39 CHAPTER FOUR INTELLIGIBILITY, 51 CHAPTER FIVE FAILURES OF UNDERSTANDING, 67 CHAPTER SIX BEYOND UNDERSTANDING, 89 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER SEVEN WISDOM, 105 NOTES, 115 BIBLIOGRAPHY, 125 INDEX OF NAMES, 131 Introduction A physicist tries to understand quantum mechanics. A parent tries to understand a child. A critic tries to understand a new style of painting. A...

Words: 57755 - Pages: 232

Premium Essay

All About Computer

...------------------------------------------------- Who is the father of the computer? There are hundreds of people who have major contributions to the field of computing. The following sections detail the primary founding fathers of computing, the computer, and the personal computer we all know and use today. Father of computing Charles Babbage was considered to be the father of computing after his invention and concept of the Analytical Engine in 1837. The Analytical Engine contained an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), basic flow control, and integrated memory; hailed as the first general-purpose computer concept. Unfortunately, because of funding issues this computer was never built while Charles Babbage was alive. However, in 1910 Henry Babbage, Charles Babbage's youngest son was able to complete a portion of the machine that could perform basic calculations. In 1991, the London Science Museum completed a working version of the Analytical Engine No 2. This version incorporated Babbage's refinements developed during the creation of the Analytical Engine. Although Babbage never completed his invention in his lifetime, his radical ideas and concepts of the computer are what make him the father of computing. Father of the computer There are several people who could be considered as the father of the computer including Alan Turing, John Atanasoff, and John von Neumann. However, for the purpose of this document we're going to be considering Konrad Zuse as the father of the...

Words: 6884 - Pages: 28

Premium Essay

Decision Making

...S A BRIEF HISTORY OF DECISION MAKING BY L E I G H B UC H A N A N A N D A N D R E W O ’ CO N N E L L RANDY LYHUS Humans have perpetually sought new tools and insights to help them make decisions. From entrails to artificial intelligence, what a long, strange trip it’s been. SOMETIME IN THE MIDST OF THE LAST CENTURY, Chester Barnard, a retired telephone executive and author of The Functions of the Executive, imported the term “decision making” from the lexicon of public administration into the business world. There it began to replace narrower descriptors such as “resource allocation” and “policy making.” 34 | Chances Are The dicey history of risk 36 | The Meeting of Minds The power and perils of group decision making 38 | Thinking Machines The real intelligence behind AI 40 | The Romance of the Gut The appeal of leaders who just do it The introduction of that phrase changed how managers thought about what they did and spurred a new crispness of action and desire for conclusiveness, argues William Starbuck, professor in residence at the University of Oregon’s Charles H. Lundquist College of Business.“Policy making could go on and on endlessly, and there are always resources to be allocated,” he explains.“‘Decision’ implies the end of deliberation and the beginning of action.” So Barnard–and such later theorists as James March, Herbert Simon, and Henry Mintzberg– laid the foundation for the study of managerial decision making...

Words: 4766 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Good Life

...mTELECOURSE STUDY GUIDE FOR The Examined Life FOURTH EDITION author J. P. White Chair, Department of Philosophy Santa Barbara City College contributing author Manuel Velasquez Professor of Philosophy Santa Clara University This Telecourse Study Guide for The Examined Life is part of a collegelevel introduction to philosophy telecourse developed in conjunction with the video series The Examined Life, and the text Philosophy: A Text with Readings, tenth edition, by Manuel Velasquez, The Charles Dirksen Professor, Santa Clara University. The television series The Examined Life was designed and produced by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, Netherlands Educational Broadcasting Corporation (TELEAC/NOT), and Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR) Copyright © 2007, 2005, 2002, 1999 by INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of INTELECOM Intelligent Telecommunications, 150 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 300, Pasadena, California 91105-1937. ISBN: 0-495-10302-0 Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Lesson One — What is Philosophy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

Words: 78103 - Pages: 313

Premium Essay

Christian Apologetics In Humanity

...21201085 WENDY KARANI APOLOGETICS MIDTERM OPEN SOURCE PAPER. 1. What is Christian Apologetics and why should we do it Apologetics is defined as "reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine." It is to be specific with this class, a branch of Christianity that deals with the aspect of defending the Christian faith against those who care to attack us. Apologetics comes from the Greek word “apologia” or in Greek: ἀπολογία which when translated mean a “defense especially of one's opinions, position, or actions”. Apologetics is therefore in reference to Christianity is a field in which apologists provide rational arguments with adequate information in order to defend their faith against objects provided by members of the secular society....

Words: 4180 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Essential Thinkers

...A618C90F-C2C6-4FD6-BDDB-9D35FE504CB3 First American paperback edition published in 2006 by Enchanted Lion Books, 45 Main Street, Suite 519, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Copyright © 2002 Philip Stokes/Arcturus Publishing Limted 26/27 Bickels Yard, 151-153 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3HA Glossary © 2003 Enchanted Lion Books All Rights Reserved. The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier hardcover edtion of this title for which a CIP record is on file. ISBN-13: 978-1-59270-046-2 ISBN-10: 1-59270-046-2 Printed in China Edited by Paul Whittle Cover and book design by Alex Ingr A618C90F-C2C6-4FD6-BDDB-9D35FE504CB3 Philip Stokes A618C90F-C2C6-4FD6-BDDB-9D35FE504CB3 ENCHANTED LION BOOKS New York Contents The Presocratics Thales of Miletus . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pythagoras of Samos . . . . . 10 Xenophanes of Colophon 12 Heraclitus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Scholastics St Anselm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 St Thomas Aquinas . . . . . . . 50 John Duns Scotus . . . . . . . . . 52 William of Occam . . . . . . . . . 54 The Liberals Adam Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Mary Wollstonecraft . . . . 108 Thomas Paine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Jeremy Bentham . . . . . . . . . 112 John Stuart Mill . . . . . . . . . . 114 Auguste Comte . . . . . . . . . . . 116 The Eleatics Parmenides of Elea . . . . . . . 16 Zeno of Elea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Age of Science Nicolaus Copernicus . . . . . . 56 Niccolò Machiavelli...

Words: 73655 - Pages: 295

Premium Essay

Reearch

...HIST Y AN PHILO PHY TORY ND P OSOP Y OF S ENCE SCIE E COMM MON CO OURSE IN ENG E GLISH BBA (I Seme A ester) BA/BS (IV Se Sc emester)     2011 A dmission onwards o UNIV VERSI ITY OF CAL F LICUT SC CHOOL OF DI L ISTANC EDU CE UCATIO ON Calicut Universi P.O. M ity Malappur ram, Kera India 673 635 ala, a 106 School of Distance Education   UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT  SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION  BBA (I Semester)  BA/BSc (IV Semester) Common Course in English 2011 Admission onwards HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE MODULE  I & II    Prepared by :  House No. 21   “Pranaam”  Keltron Nagar, Kolazhi,  Thrissur  Ms. GAYATHRI MENON .K  MODULE III  & IV Prepared  by: Ms. SWAPNA M.S.  Department of English  K. K. T. M. Govt. College  Pullut, Thrissur  Dr. Anitha Ramesh K  Associate Professor  Department of English  ZG College, Calicut  © Reserved  2  Scrutinised by :     Layout:   Computer Section, SDE  History and Philosophy of Science  School of Distance Education   Contents MODULE I ANCIENT HISTORY OF SCIENCE 1. Introduction 2. Origins of Scientific Enquiry 3. European Origins of Science 4. Contributions of Early India 5. Science in China 6. The role of Arabs in the History of Science MODULE 2 7. Science in the Middle Ages MODULE 3 MODERN SCIENCE 8. Newton and After 9. The Advancing Frontiers: Modern Medicine to Nanotechnology MODULE 4 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 10. Basic concepts in the Philosophy of Science 11. Some Issues in the Philosophy...

Words: 34637 - Pages: 139

Free Essay

Academic Writing

...Mathematical Writing by Donald E. Knuth, Tracy Larrabee, and Paul M. Roberts This report is based on a course of the same name given at Stanford University during autumn quarter, 1987. Here’s the catalog description: CS 209. Mathematical Writing—Issues of technical writing and the effective presentation of mathematics and computer science. Preparation of theses, papers, books, and “literate” computer programs. A term paper on a topic of your choice; this paper may be used for credit in another course. The first three lectures were a “minicourse” that summarized the basics. About two hundred people attended those three sessions, which were devoted primarily to a discussion of the points in §1 of this report. An exercise (§2) and a suggested solution (§3) were also part of the minicourse. The remaining 28 lectures covered these and other issues in depth. We saw many examples of “before” and “after” from manuscripts in progress. We learned how to avoid excessive subscripts and superscripts. We discussed the documentation of algorithms, computer programs, and user manuals. We considered the process of refereeing and editing. We studied how to make effective diagrams and tables, and how to find appropriate quotations to spice up a text. Some of the material duplicated some of what would be discussed in writing classes offered by the English department, but the vast majority of the lectures were devoted to issues that are specific to mathematics and/or computer science. Guest lectures by...

Words: 48549 - Pages: 195

Premium Essay

Philosophy

...P LA T O and a P LAT Y P U S WA L K I N TO A B A R . . . Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes < T H O M A S C AT H C A RT & D A N I E L K L E I N * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * P l at o a n d a P l at y p u s Wa l k i n t o a B a r . . . PLATO and a PLAT Y PUS WA L K I N T O A B A R . . . < Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Th o m as Cat h c a rt & Dan i e l K l e i n A B R A M S I M AG E , N E W YO R K e d i to r : Ann Treistman d e s i g n e r : Brady McNamara pro d u c t i on m anag e r : Jacquie Poirier Cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress. ISBN 13: 978-0-8109-1493-3 ISBN 10: 0-8109-1493-x Text copyright © 2007 Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein Illlustration credits: ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/Bruce Eric Kaplan/ cartoonbank.com: pg 18; ©Andy McKay/www.CartoonStock.com: pg 32; ©Mike Baldwin/www.CartoonStock.com: pgs 89, 103; ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/ Matthew Diffee/cartoonbank.com: pg 122; ©The New Yorker Collection 2000/ Leo Cullum/cartoonbank.com: pg 136; ©Merrily Harpur/Punch ltd: 159; ©Andy McKay/www.CartoonStock.com: pg 174. Published in...

Words: 41407 - Pages: 166

Free Essay

Sartre's What Is Literature?

...> 168159 CD >m Gift of YALE UNIVERSITY With the aid of the ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION 1949 OSMANIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Call No. Author %&V/S#/ 2-^ & Accession No. - . This bookihould be returned on or before the date last marked below. WHAT IS LITERATURE? JEAN-PAUL SARTRE Translated from the French by BERNARD FRECHTMAN PHILOSOPHICAL LIBRARY NEW YORK Copyright, 1949, by Philosophical Library, Inc. 15 EAST 40th Street, New York, N.Y. Printed in the United States of America TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword I II What Why is Writing? Write? Whom Does One Write? 7 38 III For IV Situation of the Writer in 1947 161 Index 299 67 FOREWORD want to engage yourself," writes a young imbecile, "what are you waiting for? Join the Communist Party." A great writer who engaged himself often and disengaged himself still more often, but who has forgotten, said to me, "The worst artists are the most engaged. Look "If you at the Soviet painters" "You want tres is to murder An old critic gently complained, literature. spread out insolently all Contempt for belles-let- through your review." A petty mind calls me pigheaded, which for him is evidently the highest insult. An author who barely crawled from name sometimes awakens men accuses me of not being one war to the other and whose languishing memories in old concerned with immortality; he knows, thank God, any number of people whose chief hope it is. In the eyes of an American...

Words: 94432 - Pages: 378

Free Essay

Physics

...NC 27708-0305 rgb@phy.duke.edu Copyright Notice Copyright Robert G. Brown 1993, 2007, 2013 Notice This physics textbook is designed to support my personal teaching activities at Duke University, in particular teaching its Physics 141/142, 151/152, or 161/162 series (Introductory Physics for life science majors, engineers, or potential physics majors, respectively). It is freely available in its entirety in a downloadable PDF form or to be read online at: http://www.phy.duke.edu/∼rgb/Class/intro physics 1.php It is also available in an inexpensive (really!) print version via Lulu press here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/product-21186588.html where readers/users can voluntarily help support or reward the author by purchasing either this paper copy or one of the even more inexpensive electronic copies. By making the book available in these various media at a cost ranging from free to cheap, I enable the text can be used by students all over the world where each student can pay (or not) according to their means. Nevertheless, I am hoping that students who truly find this work useful will purchase a copy through Lulu or a bookseller (when the latter option becomes available), if only to help subsidize me while I continue to write inexpensive textbooks in physics or other subjects. This textbook is organized for ease of presentation and ease of learning. In particular, they are hierarchically organized in a way that directly supports efficient learning. They are also remarkably complete...

Words: 224073 - Pages: 897