Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Meditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes

The Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes is a thorough analysis about doubt. Descartes describes his method of doubt to determine whether he can truly know something. One of his major arguments is the proof of the existence of God. In this paper, I will attempt to unravel the flaws in Descartes proof that God exists. In the meditations, Descartes evaluates whether or not everything we know is a reality or a dream. Descartes claims that we can only be sure that our beliefs are true when we clearly and distinctively perceive them to be true. As the reader analyzes the third meditation, Descartes has confirmed that some of his beliefs are in fact true. The first is that Descartes himself exists. This is expressed in what has now become a popular quote known as the â€Å"Cogito† which says, â€Å"I think therefore I am. His second conclusion is that God exist and that he is not a deceiver. Descartes then presents his arguments to prove the existence of God. He argues that by nature humans are imperfect beings. Furthermore, humankind could not possibly be able to comprehend perfection or infinite things on their own. He writes, â€Å"By the name of God I understand a substance that is infinite, independent, all-knowing, all powerful, and which myself and everything else†¦have been creat ed.†(16) Descartes uses this description of God to display the distinction between God and man. Descartes believes that man contrasts many of the characteristics of God, since humans areShow MoreRelatedRene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy1234 Words   |  5 Pages In Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes does and experiment with wax to try to prove that things actually exist in this world. This essay is going to prove how we can tell that things actually exist and what can perceive the wax. Rene Descartes starts off with a description of the wax so he can prove to us the changes that will happen throughout his experiment. â€Å"Let us take, for instance, this piece of wax. It has been taken quite recently from theRead MoreMeditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes Essay839 Words   |  4 PagesPrà ©ciso of Meditations on First Philosophy Through his series of books, Meditations on First Philosophy, Renà © Descartes enlightens his philosophical ideas about knowledge in which we should discard all belief we aren’t absolute certain about and establishes what we know for sure. In the introduction he clarifying the main ideas of each of the 6 books and using to them build up to his belief. Starting with the First Meditations, he discusses about doubt. He believed that there are no real foundationsRead MoreMeditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes1062 Words   |  5 PagesIn Meditations on First Philosophy, Renà © Descartes philosophies made a substantial advancement in enabling us to understand the world around us by querying many of the Aristotelian doctrines that are still being discussed in philosophy today. He attempts to answer the question; can you fully trust your senses? Descartes uses methodological doubt, which is a process of being skeptical about truths of someone’s belief to revoke from his senses. In Meditation One: Concerning Those Things That Can BeRead MoreRene Descartes Meditations On First Philosophy1758 Words   |  8 PagesPerhaps the most startling conclusion reached by Renà © Descartes in Meditations on First Philosophy is his proposed disconnection between the Mind and Body. Striving to separate the spiritual from the corpore al to enable scientific examination of the earthly without interference from the divine, Descartes conceives that the two basic human substances, Mind and Body, are distinct and therefore able to exist separate of one another in his [in]famous claim of substance dualism. His conclusions rest uponRead MoreEssay on Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes1561 Words   |  7 Pages In his work, Meditations on First Philosophy, Renà © Descartes writes to rid pre-conceptions, and disprove all belief in thoughts that are not certain, accepting only what can be known for sure. In his Meditation VI: Of the Existence of Material Things, and the Real Distinction between the Mind and Body of Man, he discusses his belief that the mind and body are two separate substances, claiming that the nonmaterial mind and the material body, while being ontologically distinct substances, causallyRead MoreRene Descartes s Meditation On First Philosophy802 Words   |  4 PagesRenà © Descartes objective in Meditation on First Philosophy is to construct philosophy as a solid methodical study and discipline alike the sciences. To do so he must first suspend belief in all things doubtful and from their go about verifying the true concepts of the world. In meditation II he verifies that he is a thinking thing and finds that the certainty of the cogito â€Å"I think therefore I am† lies in the distinct perception of what he affirms. From this he generates a general rule of evidenceRead More Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Essay1946 Words   |  8 PagesRene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes’ third meditation from his book Meditations on First Philosophy, examines Descartes’ arguments for the existence of God. The purpose of this essay will be to explore Descartes’ reasoning and proofs of God’s existence. In the third meditation, Descartes states two arguments attempting to prove God’s existence, the Trademark argument and the traditional Cosmological argument. Although his arguments are strong and relatively truthfulRead MoreEssay on Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy2121 Words   |  9 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Descartes believes that knowledge comes from within the mind. This is a single indisputable fact to build on that can be gained through individual reflection. While seeking true knowledge, Descartes writes his Six Meditations. In these meditations, Descartes tries to develop a strong foundation, which all knowledge can be built upon. In the First Meditation, Descartes begins developing this founda tion through the method of doubt. He casts doubt upon all his previous beliefs, including â€Å"mattersRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy 1399 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy Essay 1 Rene Descartes was born in in La Haye, France, in 1596 and he studied at La Fleche Jesuit College and University of Poitiers. Descartes also lived in Germany, Holland and Sweden. He then worked in the army as a private councillor and then as a court philosopher. Descartes book ‘Meditations on First Philosophy’ was first published in 1641. The edition used to write this essay was edited by John Cottingham and was published by the Cambridge University Press in 1996. Descartes wasRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s Meditations On First Philosophy1066 Words   |  5 Pageswhat is reality? Among these writers were Renà ¨ Descartes and George Berkeley, who respectively argued that everything perceived must be real due to God being unable to deceive, and that the physical world only exists in one’s mind. In my view, it is not certain that the physical world is real, but one should act as if it is. Renà ¨ Descartes, in Meditations on First Philosophy, wrote each section after successive â€Å"meditations.† In Descartes’s first meditation, he claims it is unable to be proven whether

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Age of Imperialism - 635 Words

During the period of 1850 until about 1910 there was an age of Imperialism. Imperialism is the policy of extending a nation’s political and economic dominance or control over another territory or country. Imperialism was important to the political power of many nations for the Eastern and Western. It added wealth, status and increased their military strength. With the strength of their military they are able to maintain their authority all over the world by using their colonies as supply bases and fortifications. Many people in the Western countries believed that their civilization was superior to that of the non-Western peoples. Westerners wanted to bring benefits of their culture to others. They also wanted to teach non-Christians about Christianity. For many Europeans and North Americans, such goals helped to defend imperialism. I am studying imperialism of Great Britain how they took control over China and the United States; how they took control over the Caribbean Islands and Philippines. Prior to their controls, I am studying how their motivations are the similar and differ from one another from their commerce and their government policy. In the early 1800’s, Great Britain had more colonies than any other Western nation. It controlled Canada, part of India, Australia, New Zealand, British Honduras; known to us today as Belize, in Central America, British Guiana; now known as Guyana in South Africa, and other islands in the Caribbean. Much of the eastern half ofShow MoreRelatedImperialism : The Age Of Imperialism1010 Words   |  5 PagesIndira Yuldasheva C band Expansionism Essay The late 19th century and early 20th century is known as the â€Å"Age of Imperialism†, a period in which major world powers, including the United States, adopted a policy of expansionism. Expansionism is defined as the policy of territorial or economic expansion, which is often achieved through diplomacy or military force. During this time period, the United States notably acquired territory in the Pacific and Latin America. The nation’s growing colonialRead MoreImperialism : The Age Of New Imperialism1048 Words   |  5 PagesImperialism is defined as a strong economic and political empire takes over a weaker economic and political empire. Stronger empires conquered weaker empires to industrialize the land and to weaken other threating empires. To build a strong empire, a nation must use their military power to conquer a weaker nation, take the supplies and goods to support the mother nation, and use the supplies and goods to benefit your own empire by conquer ing even more empires. Imperialism did not begin in the twentiethRead MoreAge of Imperialism2874 Words   |  12 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Material American Imperialism Part 1 Complete the chart by identifying the following: †¢ Identify the countries or areas where the United States engaged in imperialistic actions during the period from about 1870 to 1914. (Michele Stafford) †¢ Discuss why each area was important to American empire building (political, economic, and social). - KRISTY †¢ Explain America’s expansionist ideals. What were some of the factors that justified American imperialist actionsRead MoreThe Age of Imperialism Essay1573 Words   |  7 PagesImperialism was a time period in which more developed nations colonized less developed nations. The developed nations took advantage of the less developed nations resources, people, lands, and much more. Many countries lost their freedom and independence due to imperialism, however, they also received new technologies and innovations. Since there were many nations involved, there were many attributes that led up to imperialism. Firstly, the Europeans wanted economic expansion. Since the industrialRead MoreThe Age Of New Imperialism1944 Words   |  8 PagesThe ‘Age of New Imperialism’ in Britain was a time of prosperity and total domination. Compared to previous years of imperialism, this period was focused primarily on benefitting the colonial power, Britain, instead of establishing new settlements. Even though the British imperialism of the late 19th century/early 20th century brought great wealth, knowledge, and technological advancements to the country, it was at the expense of many ‘other’ people in the empire. Britain, and Europe as a wholeRead MoreThe Age Of Industrialization And Imperialism1220 Words   |  5 Pagesand militarization and the development of new technology and warfare at the beginning of the four year long war. At the mark of the new year, Europe found itself supreme and leading in most all categories relevant to the West. The age of industrialization and imperialism had just commenced and Europeans found themselves center stage in science, culture, economics, and fashion. Following the Napoleonic wars and the Congress of Vienna, European affairs had been relatively peaceful, other than smallRead MoreAmerica s Age Of Imperialism846 Words   |  4 PagesWithin history, Imperialism has been the driving force behind the massive stretches of kingdoms across the world. The word Imperialism is derived from the Latin word Imperium; meaning: to rule over large territories. Imperialism itself means â€Å"a policy of extending a country s power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.† In the 19th century Imperialism was used to great effect by Europeans in their African colonies; Cecil Rhodes who founded the De Beers MiningRead MoreThe United States : An Ag e Of Imperialism1875 Words   |  8 PagesBy late the nineteenth century the world was in an Age of Imperialism. The foremost European powers were all competing and swiftly increasing their territorial claims. Americans have always felt the desire to grow and expand the United States, they ultimately proved that with Manifest Destiny, when they settled from the east to the west coast. The idea of expansion overseas was something not new to the United States. The war against Mexico had allowed the United States to be carried into the PacificRead MoreThe Gilded Age And Imperialism Expansion1827 Words   |  8 Pagescan be paradoxical The Gilded Age or Imperialism expansion examine the conflicting values that America held for each. The gilded age was a period in history that caused a vast transformation due to the increase of American industrialization. Values and attitudes toward The Gilded Age varied. The poor workers often saw the changed caused by the Gilded Age as corrupt, where the rich business men looked at it as a positive change. The poor laborers in the gilded age often viewed the change that occurredRead MoreThe Age Of America s New Imperialism1668 Words   |  7 PagesImperialism in the 1890s The 1890’s was the age of America’s new imperialism. The idea of imperialism resulted from the belief of Manifest Destiny, the idea of expanding America’s frontier from coast to coast was destined by God. The continuation of filling up western land created a closed frontier, pushing America to expand to other places outside of the mainland. The principle of expanding to other areas was to help America become a world power. The closing of the frontier was introduced by

Henry Ford’s Evolution of Automobiles Free Essays

string(27) " he met Clara Jane Bryant\." â€Å"It is doubtful if any mechanical invention in the history of the world has influenced in the same length of time the lives of so many people in an important way as the motor car. † So writes an American historian, thinking of the automobile alone. But it does not stand-alone. We will write a custom essay sample on Henry Ford’s Evolution of Automobiles or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was the automobile factory that introduced mass production, a process that has changed the lineaments of our economic and social life more profoundly than any other single element in the recent history of civilization. Nearly everyone has heard of this process, yet few have any detailed or exact knowledge of its inception and development. Enter Henry Ford. The true answers of what inspired this Michigan farmer to develop a production process that was so simple, effective and efficient it changed the entire course of history. In this report, we will present a brief history of the era in which Henry Ford lived, the background from which he came, and important management trends he followed. It is hard to summarize the era in which Henry Ford lived. Chiefly because he changed the entire tone of the era in which he lived, making his career a transitional period. We will begin with the world before Ford. In the mid-latter part of the eighteen hundreds (c. 860-c. 1895), the United States was still tending its wounds from the aftermath of the civil war. It was a time of rebuilding, reorganizing and a time to accept change. The country†s figureheads were also changing. When the most respected of men were generals, soldiers, presidents, and war painted warriors, combat bravery was a greatly revered trait. However when the dust and smoke of war cleared, the public†s attention naturally shifted back to home life. The transition occurred when the position of bravery in the public eye changed from a warrior†s bravery, to an entrepreneur†s type of bravery. An undeniable part of home life and living is what tools are used to make a home or farm function. This is where the gaze shifted toward men like Edison for inventing the light bulb and standardizing the use of electricity. Well over one hundred years later, what home is complete without electricity? And (back to our focus) what home is complete without an automobile? Naturally many inventors influenced this time in history. Take for example three boys who grew up on several of the farms in Worcester County, Massachusetts. At thirteen, Tom Blanchard invents an apple-parer; at eighteen he works in a tack factory, and is soon inventing a tack-counting machine, then a tack-making machine. Before long he is one of the masters of the Springfield Arsenal. Elias Howe liked to tinker with the grain mill on his father†s farm, an occupation fitting his rural life. At sixteen he became an apprentice in a Lowell factory for making textile machinery – his sewing machine lay just ahead. Eli Whitney combines farm chores and forge work; restlessly ambitious, he saves money to attend Yale – with what result we all know. The farm is a sound teacher of ingenuity and elementary mechanical skills. Before long however its lessons are ended, and the youth whose imagination is fired by railroads, steamboats, cotton mills, machine shops, and gun factories looks to a larger sphere. † 2 Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in the Detroit, Michigan area. He was the oldest of six children born to William and Mary Litogot O†Hern Ford, and the grandson of Irish immigrants who had arrived in America in 1847. The entire family worked on the family farm and Ford was raised with intentions of taking over the family farm when he grew up. He had an intelligent, inquisitive nature and was energized by the huge growth of industry occurring in the Detroit area. † 3He was also an avid experimenter. At age nine, in one of his first experiments, he theorized the power of steam. To prove the nature of this phenomenon, he plugged the spout of one of his mother†s delicate teapots, and set it to a boil. And to the great joy of the young, giggly theorist (and dismay of his mother), the explosion sent pieces of glass and boiling water crashing around the kitchen! Miraculously the young observer was left untouched! This result is eerily reminiscent of the effect Ford would have on the industrial revolution in times to come. As he grew up his father allowed him to â€Å"tinker† with many of the tools on the farm. Ford†s mother called him a â€Å"born mechanic† and provided him with darning needles and corset stays to make into tools for his watch repair work. Probably the most dramatic event in Henry Ford†s life happened in 1876 at age thirteen. While riding with his father in a wagon, they saw a steam engine travelling along the road under its own power. Ford jumped off the wagon and excitedly began to question the driver about this remarkable engine. Used for stationary purposes such as sawing wood, the engine had been mounted on wheels to propel itself. The engineer explained all about the machine and even let Ford fire the engine and run it. â€Å"Ford later said, ‘That showed me that I was by instinct an engineer. â€Å"†4 The seed was planted that there could be a self-propelled vehicle and that thought would haunt his imagination for years. Although he yearned to go to Detroit and work in the machine shops, Ford stayed on the farm helping his family until he was seventeen. Then, with his father†s blessing, he moved to Detroit and started working at the Michigan Car Company for $1. 0 a day. He was fired shortly thereafter after angering the older employees by making repairs in a ? hour instead of the usual five hours. By 1882 Ford had left Detroit and used the family farm as his address as he traveled around from job to job. In 1885, at a party, he met Clara Jane Bryant. You read "Henry Ford’s Evolution of Automobiles" in category "Essay examples" They married April 11, 1888 and their only child, Edsel, named after his boyhood friend Edsel Ruddiman, was born November 6, 1893. Ford had never given up his dream of a â€Å"horseless carriage. † Whenever he had a spare moment he read about gas engines and experimented in his own workshop. By 1891 he and Clara had moved back to Detroit and Ford began working for Detroit Edison Illuminating Company. Ford†s Quadricycle (his first automobile) was ready for a try-out in 1896. It frightened the horses and caused many a protest, but it ran. It was through working at the Detroit Edison Illuminating Company that Ford met Thomas Edison. â€Å"At a convention Ford was introduced to Edison as ‘The young fellow who†s made a gas car. â€Å"†5 After discussing his ideas with the great inventor, Ford was glad to hear that Edison thought his ideas had merit. Edison told him, ‘Young man, you have it, a self-contained unit carrying its own fuel. Keep at it! â€Å"†6 The meeting with Thomas Edison gave Henry Ford fresh inspiration and his spirit was renewed by the famous inventor†s words of encouragement. By 1899 Ford had produced an operable car that was written up in the Detroit Journals. Ford was described as a â€Å"mechanical engineer. † Eventually his work developing automobiles conflicted with his position at the Detroit Edison Illuminating Company. Even though the company was well pleased with his work and offered him the General Superintendent position, they asked him to make a choice. Could he give up his â€Å"hobby† of automobile building and devote himself to the company? Ford made the decision. He wanted to make automobiles. After some false starts, on June 16, 1903, with ten investors plus Ford†s patents, knowledge and engine, Henry Ford incorporated the Ford Motor Company. After years of hard, pioneering work, Ford Motor Company produced its ninth and most successful-thus-far automobile, the world famous Model T. It was first marketed in October 1908 and the company dominated sales for the next eighteen years. Because of his development of the assembly line used to mass-produce automobiles, Ford sold more than one half of the cars in the industry in 1918-1919 and 1921-1925. The Model T, or Tin Lizzie, was a hard working, sturdy, commonplace car. Ford†s dream had come true. â€Å"I will build a motor car for the great multitude†¦ constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise†¦ so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God†s great open spaces. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison had become the best of friends. They admired and respected each other. In 1916 Henry Ford purchased Mangoes, the home next door to his friend Edison†s Seminole Lodge, so that he and Clara could vacation there while the Edisons were down. The two families enjoyed their time away from it all in the tropical serenity of Fort Myers, Florida. Camping expeditions into the Everglades, with Harvey Firestone and his family, plus naturalist John Burroughs, became a special treat. Henry Ford died April 7, 1947. Editorial tributes were favorable to Henry Ford. He was praised as a patriot, philanthropist, philosopher, reformer, economist, and teacher and depicted as a symbol of individualism and productive genius. â€Å"8 During his career, particularly in the early 1900†³s, Ford methods of management were seen as being very innovative. â€Å"He was a student of the modern management methods that were emerging at the time. For example, he was familiar with the work of Frederick Taylor, the driving force behind the new principles of scientific management and the use of time and motion studies to increase job efficiency. † 9Frederick Taylor truly used a scientific approach to management. He took each element of management and production and examined it under great scrutiny. He also observed how each portion of the entire production process worked together as a team. His purpose was to refine each element and bring them together under the least amount of functional friction. â€Å"For example, Taylor took aside the worker element and discovered that most of them were soldiering. Soldiering is deliberately working at less than full capacity. â€Å"10 Upon resolving this problem, the worker element now has less functional friction will perform better for the team. More relevant to Ford†s case was Taylor†s time-and-motion study. This study sharply examined how a worker performed a task. It followed each motion that the worker went through to accomplish a task and then tried to simplify each task by removing steps and/or refining them so that the job could be done faster and with less effort. This proved to be the most revealing of Frederick†s studies as it allowed work to be done at a much faster rate and in some cases quadrupled production! Ford strongly believed in Taylor†s scientific approach and custom fit his production team to perform at the greatest capacity. Having taken influence from Taylor†s time-and-motion study, Ford devised his true masterpiece, the assembly line. This, being the most vital part of production for any mass-produced product, could more than quadruple output with far less labor, and much less skill required for each job. Ford immediately recognized the potential for output of his new company, and upon the earnings its first profits, the company began to expand. This expansion of the Ford Motor Company, accredited to Ford†s innovative management approach, would set a trend that swept the world for many years to come. Being the first company to adopt the method of mass production gave Ford Motor Company such a powerful head start that it dominated the automobile industry for the next twenty years. As far as Henry Ford†s role in his company he was both a figurehead and a liaison. Following his massive success in the auto-industry, Henry Ford began to take part in politics. He also began to donate money to charitable organizations and became a familiar face at important dedication ceremonies around the country. His 1918 run for senate and his dedication ceremonies, i. . (1929 Edison Institute of Technology) identify him as a figurehead for the Ford Motor Company. However, Ford always kept an eye and an ear on other rising companies and other changing trends in industry. This greatly aided him in staying on top of the automobile industry for so long. This would make Ford also a liaison in his company. Ford however did not deal with his workforce directly. â€Å"He hired Harry Bennett as head of the infamous Ford Service Department to maintain control over his rapidly expanding following of workers. 11 Ford†s indirect management of his workers would therefore disqualify him from the leader role in his company, making him a figurehead/liaison type manager. Henry Ford†s life falls into a very small category of lives known as revolutionaries. He was not simply and inevitable product of his time. He was original and revolutionary. He defied precedent and never once allowed the impossibilities of the past to limit the possibilities of the future. And above all he was a true patriot to the growth of the human race. How to cite Henry Ford’s Evolution of Automobiles, Essay examples