Descartes Essay Topics and Thoughts

Descartes Essay Topics and ThoughtsIf you want to write an essay on Descartes, do not go around with an open book, feeling like a total thinker. You can get something done if you do not take the mindset of a thinker at all. Think, and be thinking, to write a well-written Descartes essay.Descartes is said to have become conscious of his own existence by thinking. In a sense, he was right, because you do not exist unless you think, since thoughts themselves are something that we cannot see, hear, touch, or taste. So how is it possible to become conscious of one's existence? The answer is that the thought of an object makes us realize that it exists. How could the thought of Descartes himself make him realize that he existed?Descartes felt like there must be something he could do to test his theory. So he wrote what is known as the Meditations. What he wrote is said to be a journal he kept on his boat as he sat and meditated, contemplating everything. According to his theory, then, he w as thinking about the idea of infinity, and that, in turn, made him realize that his existence was infinite. He continued in his meditations until he came up with his famous proposition: Everything that exists is connected to another thing or concept, and everything that is connected is what we call separate.There are two areas where Descartes focuses his reflections: First philosophy essay topics that deal with mental processes, and the second one on philosophy essay topics dealing with the nature of reality. Descartes' thoughts on the subject of mental processes reveal his concern with the nature of reality, as he considers the possibility of our minds being true if we were to discover some sort of reality outside of ourselves. For instance, he describes a self-sufficient person, such as himself, and wonders whether it would make sense to consider ourselves merely machines.Descartes' thoughts on the process of thinking can be traced back to the Greek philosophers, who knew the tru e nature of the mind, Aristotle and Plato. Their thoughts were essentially logical, since the physical world only existed as the product of the mind. Of course, this conclusion is inconsistent with the traditional Christian view of the mind, which believes in the reality of a spirit of some sort. Therefore, Descartes makes use of ancient Greek philosophy in order to disprove the Christian theory.Descartes' Meditations are a collection of thoughts and reflections made on his boat while he meditated. Since his theory of the mind is the same as that of Aristotle and Plato, Descartes can demonstrate his arguments with these subjects, as well as by using himself as the subject. He can present both sides of the matter, thereby reducing the mystery surrounding his philosophy.What Descartes ultimately means by 'everything that is connected to another thing' is the possibility of the existence of a subject that is not connected to anything in particular. As he explains in the first philosoph y essay topic, then, 'A solitary self does not exist, unless it is connected to a certain reality.' By showing how the reality of existence is connected to another reality, he proves that all things are connected to each other. Descartes even posits his own existence, proving his theory that he exists as a self-sufficient entity, independent of anyone else.Even though there are many Descartes essay topics that deal with the actual process of thinking, you should not try to do everything that he did. Only concentrate on things that you actually did, and not on things that are left out of his work. This way, you will be able to make out what he was trying to say.