Epistemology and Descartes Essay

In both(prenominal) Platos Allegory of the Cave and Descartes The Fourth Meditation, they handle virtue what it is, where it comes from and how to differentiate it from falsehood and error. Platos paper is more metaphorical and uses resource to paint a demonstrate of his judge custodyt of truth, while Descartes is more straight forward, and uses examples. These document are written very(prenominal) differently but are, at the same time, very similar when it comes to content. Although its not formulate for word, these two papers complement apiece another(prenominal) very well when it comes to shaping truth and explaining its origin.In Allegory of the Cave, Platos linear perspective is that our senses, such as sight, skew our cause of true knowledge. We are, for alone acuate and points, chained at the neck and ankles, otiose to move. Our creation is a cave lighten by a fire disguised as the sun. We only see what is forrader us our shadows, our falsities and error s. However, on the rare antecedent that we break free from our chains, we are able to experience true knowledge. We understand the world around us and realize what we one time thought we k advanced isnt real. We view things in a new perspective, a new lightsunlight.This is what Plato believes truth is. The cave where men are chained is, essentially, a mask, hiding farmings true identity. one time that mask is taken off, we know Earths true identity, we understand. One whitethorn relate being unchained to an epiphany, or divine intervention. Its an experience of something so saturated, so insightful you know it to be true. And once we bewilder experienced this pure truth, we essential return to the cave be by shadows and lit with an artificial sun. We must do to this so we can allot our true knowledge with others, so they too, may one day be unchained. In The Fourth Meditation, Descartes rationalizes Gods Will, and all of disfigurements, through a series of questions and answers. In this paper, Descartes describes God as the source of goodness, truth and being. He is infinite. The opposite of God, Descartes states, is nothingness. So, since we humans exist, Descartes explains we must be somewhere in surrounded by these two extremes. We are neither infinite, nor are we nothingness. We are finite, as God willed us to be. We consist of being and non-being. Andany imperfection we may have is not a result of our being, rather our non-beingour error, in other words. Descartes says that when we know we know something, we are light speed percent sure about it. We have no feelings against it. Its a explosive realization, an epiphany perhaps. And in this state, our judgments are certain and true. Descartes in like manner talks about how we can not know anything certainly, without tone at the all told picture. For example, scientists cannot expect to prove or confute Gods existence by looking at specific, finite things in the universe.Or if people try to negate God by saying there is evil in the world, they arent looking at the astronomical picture. For, in the big picture, Descartes thinks there would be an explanation, a purpose for evil. So even though Plato and Descartes snuff it very different types of explanations about truth, and its origin, they come to similar conclusions. They both view truth as something beyond our middling senses. They both suggest taking a look at the bigger picture to find truth (being unchained/understanding Gods infinite being). And they both agree that, when the truth is know, it needs to be shared.