Descartes And Opposing Other Philosophical Views Philosophy Essay

Descartes And Opposing Other Philosophical Views Philosophy Essay Descartes had his fair share of opposing philosophers, but one of his main critiques was in the person of John Locke. I do not totally agree with his proposition that only the mind can produce certain knowledge and that our senses are always under the attack of the devil that deceives us. And by that note I will use Locke to oppose the main proposition of Descartes concerning doubt or the first meditation. Descartes first meditation focused on doubt and how knowledge is innate in us. In Descartes first meditation; there was this thought that since our senses can be considered as doubtful or deceiving, therefore the knowledge that came to us thorough the senses are doubtful and the knowledge that we now have is from the mind  [i]  . Descartes pointed out that we are in a dreaming state, that we are but in a state where in the senses that we have deceives us. Locke therefore proposed that we our sense are not deceiving us, we are not in a dream state; because for him knowledge can only be achieved through the senses and not by some innate ideas that is from our mind. This concept of ideas that comes from our minds posts some problems that were identified by Locke; one is that if one possesses this innate knowledge locked up in his mind, he or she therefore must have the consciousness that this knowledge exists, but by the mere fact that a child does not know that his parents are his or her parents proves that knowledge cannot be innate or can be only found in the mind. Locke then suggested that there are two kinds of experiences; one is what he called as external experience. External experience or is what he described as the experience which we can attain knowledge through the use of our five senses; the color, the smell, the motion and etc. of an object can be attributed to this kind of experience  [ii]  . In other words, sense experience is about the analysis of the physical characteristics of an object that is in front of you. The other kind of experience is what he calls as the internal experience or called as reflection  [iii]  ; this experience makes us understand or interpret the several characteristics that the external experience have produced; meaning the shape or taste of a an object is interpreted by this second experience. Locke here proposed that there is this cycle from which a certain object or a thought must go before it can be considered as a piece of information, which I truly believe would be the most correct process of understanding a certain object. Unlike what Descartes has been promulgating, Locke has made a logical process of how we could attain knowledge. Descartes has proposed that since our senses deceive us therefore anything that passes through our senses is considered to be doubtful or untrue. Now let us go to Descartes God argument. Descartes started by saying that the knowledge of God is again innate in us  [iv]  . Again we see the problem here in the statement of Descartes. Experience will teach us the moral principles and the background needed to understand and have the knowledge about God. Then how would God be innate in us if experience would be the basis for us to understand and have a notion about God. Our mind during our infancy and early years is what John Locke considered as a clean slate, a tabula rasa, wherein knowledge is added to it by the use of our sense experience and not by mere innate ideas. Moreover if we had this innate idea of God, then why is it that we all have different interpretations of him? Why is it that some people even come to the extent of not believing him or even not considering him as living? God for Descartes seemed to be the promulgator of all that is true. And for him sense experience is impossible because we can be deceived. So w ho is doing the deceiving? Descartes then pointed out that there was this being that is responsible for deceiving us by the use of our senses. He called this deceiver as the devil the cause of all the falsity that our senses produce. The thought that the senses can be deceived by the devil gives us the notion that all outside objects and might as well our senses can be controlled by the devil. And by saying this Descartes proves that our sense cannot be trusted but rather, our mind is the most trustworthy attribute. God for me is not an innate object or idea. As same as what Locke has said, our ideas of God varies and therefore we cannot say that there is this universal knowledge about God that is innate in all of us. Now that was done we shall now go to his second meditation where in we can find his most famous phrase Cogito ergo sum which translates to I think, therefore I am  [v]  . Using Lockes empiricist look I shall now ponder on this issue of the cogito. Since John Locke adheres to the idea that the senses are the source of knowledge and nothing else, it could be said that there would no need for a concept of the cogito. By the mere fact that we have a body and we can experience it is enough reason to say that we exist. Sense experience, as said earlier, is the basis for knowledge also it can prove that we exist. We can feel other bodies and other objects therefore it is a proof that we exist and we are not being deceived by any supernatural being. Our sense experience is enough proof that we are alive, we exist beyond reasonable doubt. Doubting the existence of our body is like saying that we do not feel or see or hear anything. We can see, we can feel, we can experience pain and pleas ure by the use of our bodies; therefore doubting it would require us to think that we do not feel anything, we do not feel the pain if our hand is put above fire. For me therefore I completely disagree with his second meditation. Next we go shall go to his interpretation of the body and the mind and how the mind is more known to us than the body  [vi]  . Locke argued that the body cannot be unhinged from the concept of the mind; for it is the body which sucks in outside stimuli to force the mind to think; the body therefore is our receptors for knowledge and since it is our first level of experience it can be considered as more known to us that the mind. Locke continued by saying that as we are not always in a pondering state therefore we are not that acquainted with our mind. Our body is a big strainer where in all of the outside stimuli can be felt. Our body is the receptacle of all things which we can feel or experience. Therefore our body is becomes our first contact with the outside world and by the fact that we can consider it as a first, then we could say that we know more about our body than our mind. For example we see a chubby woman running towards a fast food restaurant, isnt our first thought would be her size, her being chubby and not what she thinks? We first think about her physical appearance thus we could know first her appearance, but we cannot deduce what she is thinking; what her mind contains as we see her walking to a restaurant. Now we go to her third meditation which is about the existence of God  [vii]  . For me his justification of the existence of God is not that strong and I do not agree with it. If for example I have an idea of a dragon, then that dragon must be existing in reality; but it does not. So therefore I shall use the doctrines of St. Thomas on this. Gods existence can be proven by his effects, which are all the things that we can see here. The greatest example would be the world. It would be quite impossible for this sphere of land and water just appeared unwilled. Therefore there must be this all powerful being that created the world and its majesty. The effects of God therefore would be a stronger justification rather than saying that if we have an idea of a God or the God therefore we can say that he exists. Now we can go to the next meditation which involves the existence of material objects  [viii]  . Descartes in this part of his meditations that we can have knowledge, a correct knowledge, of material objects. Though he did say that this knowledge then must not pass through our senses but by again it should directly be processed in our mind. By the use of Locke, I can say that this proposition cannot be trusted or correct. How would external objects be processed through our minds directly without the use of our senses? This proposition seems to be, for me, an impossible thing to be done. Every material object has several physical characteristics that can only be felt by our senses and if we do not use these senses or if we do not experience these objects then it would be impossible for us to understand them or for our mind to interpret them. Lastly we shall now go to his last meditation which is the argument of mind and body  [ix]  . I agree with this part, that the body and the mind are two completely different entities; for the mind function differently from the body. The mind acts upon the by the use of outside stimuli that is received by our senses of the body. Therefore their duties are different from each other; the mind would be to control the bodily functions and interpret what the outside stimuli is expressing and the body is the one acted upon by the mind, but is the first to receive stimuli from the outside source. From my point of view, several meditations that were done by Descartes were simply not logical. His main contention of the mind being the first to receive experience or knowledge is very problematic. It suggests that the senses cannot be trusted, that all that the senses have perceived and the knowledge that has come from them are doubtful even if it is not. As I have said I do not agree with all of the ideas that were given to us by Descartes and I hoped I explained it properly by the use of the examples and by the use of the doctrine of John Locke.

How does an organization create customer value Essay

Marketing experts Don Peppers and Martha Rogers said: â€Å"Without customers, you don’t have a business.† It is such a simple, nevertheless, a scary thought. We live in a world of consumerism, in which the customer’s wants and desires greatly exceed their basic needs. Even though many see this concept as a threat to modern world society, it has created the extremely competitive marketplace for businesses. The companies are competing everyday to win over as many customers as possible by offering products that create irreplaceable value and benefit to those customers. Many companies will succeed in getting the customers to buy into their value and benefit however, the true success of a business is not linked only to getting new customers. It is considerably linked with keeping those customers around and winning over the customers from their competition. Companies work hard to develop creative marketing schemes for their products so that the company is recognized a nd perceived as valuable and beneficial to the customer. However, I believe that all strong companies start from the same point: listening to the customer. The extraordinary merits of information technology, such as the internet, cell phones, social media, television, radio, etc. have made the world we live in a global village. Thanks to the information technology, distance has never been less of an obstacle to communication amongst people. Technology has made information essentially accessible to everyone, everywhere, at any time making consumers, â€Å"more educated and informed than ever. They have the tools to verify companies’ claims and seek out superior alternatives† (Kotler & Keller, 2009, p.121). Consumerism and technology have made it possible for the customer to be heard. They can share interests, as well as positive and negative reviews for others to see. Companies follow and act upon those interests and reviews. They analyze all the information and seek to create a product that will satisfy the consumer’s interests and minimize the negative reviews. The creation of a quality product or a service that satisfies a great number of the customer’s needs and wants will create competitive advantage in the marketplace for the company and will make the product or service valuable to the customer. Ultimately, it will create an valuable experience. Positive experiences create loyalty towards that product and, â€Å"deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service in the future despite  situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior† ( Kotler & Keller, 2009, p.123). Negative experiences on the other hand can cause dissatisfaction with the product and cause a customer to defect and go to the competitor. When defection happens companies seek other ways to retain current customers, gain new ones, or even stop dissatisfied customers from defecting. Som e of the other ways companies make themselves valuable to the customer are: speed of service, discounts and rebates, warranties, loyalty programs, gifts, etc. Sale!Sale!Sale! 20-70% off entire store! 2 for 1! All these marketing schemes, discounts, and rebates are used to promote value in the eyes of the customer. Customers like to use phrases like: †I want more for my money†, or, â€Å"getting more for less†. One of the best ways that companies show they are valuable to customers is lowering the price of their products. The value created for the customer is satisfaction and a feeling of success. Meeting customer needs with a product is great, but the real measure of success cannot be measured by the product made, but by the feeling that the customer gets after purchasing it. That feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction after purchasing the product will affect the customer retention base, customer loyalty, company’s image, and ultimately the bottom line. Many companies today compete on price and try to create value for the customer by giving them more for less. No matter how good the product or service is, mistakes will happen and the customers will complain. Many people don’t like to hear complaints, but when there is money involved there will be complaining. The first step in making the company valuable to the customer is by making complaints easier and more accessible. By doing this the company makes it personable, consequently creating the value of importance for the customer instead of making them just a number. Benjamin Franklin said, â€Å"Well done is better than well said†. Companies might say they will make it personal and resolve the issue, but then you are put on hold for thirty minutes when you call in for a complaint, or your car might have to stay in the shop two days longer than anticipated. When inconveniencing the customer in moments like these, any effort to help the customer resolve the issue thereafter may be futile. That may very well be the last time the company will deal with that particular customer. The second step in creating value for the customer is the speed at which the issue will be resolved. It  might sound clichà ©, but time is money, and an attorney that has to be on hold for thirty minutes might have lost the opportunity to earn two hundred dollars. He might take it personal and go to your competitor. Acc ording to Kotler & Keller (2009), â€Å"Of the customers who register a complaint, between 54% and 70% will do business with the organization again if their complaint is resolved. The figure goes up to a staggering 95% if the customer feels the complaint was resolved quickly† (p.129). Therefore, it is not just resolving the issue that makes the customer value your company, it is the speed at which that issue or complaint is resolved. The desire of each marketing person and each company, per se, is building a strong and loyal customer base. Quality products and services create satisfied customers, and that satisfaction creates a relationship between the customer and a brand. If the customer is repeatedly content with the benefits from the particular product or service, it starts building loyalty. Once loyalty is established companies continue creating value for the customer thru development of loyalty programs that provide customers with extra rewards and benefits, making them feel more valuable since they are not getting those benefits anywhere else. The company has created ultimate value for both customer and themselves when their customers become their clients. According to Kotler & Keller (2009), â€Å"Customers may be nameless to the institution; clients cann ot be nameless. Customers are served as part of the mass or as part of the large segments; clients are served on an individual basis. Customers are served by anyone who happens to be available; clients are served by the professional assigned to them† (p.140). Companies create competitive advantage in the market by putting the customer’s wants and needs ahead of everything, understanding that without their customers they would not exist. In today’s world of consumerism and information, every company is capable of creating a valuable experience for their customers. However, the difference between the leaders in the market and others is that the leaders are constantly making their customer’s feel valued. Leading companies listen to their customers, they resolve their customer’s complaints and concerns in a fast and effective manner. They make customers feel valuable by building personal relationships thru numerous loyalty programs, and ultimately deepe n that relationship by making their customers into clients.

Ultimate Frisbee Essay

My feet left the ground. My arms extended. My entire body was parallel to the ground for what seemed to be an eternity. Nothing was going through my mind except one overpowering thought: catch the Frisbee. It was not just a Frisbee however. It was the game winning goal. It was redemption for my previous mistakes. It was reward for all of my tireless work. It was the gateway to eternal bliss. Catching this pass was a necessity.? I called out,† I’m open† to Greg Rupp, the thrower on my team, as I finally shook off the smothering blanket of defense wrapped on me by Justin Burns.This slight crack in an otherwise impenetrable defense flashed before his eyes. Within a split-second, his right foot stepped heavily on the firm ground and his torso pivoted launching the disc, with all his might, into oblivion. Greg immediately shouted †sorry† for throwing the disc way past me and way past my reach, but I was not going to give up. There might not have be another o pportunity. I saw this one and I was determined to reach it. ?Flying past Justin Burns and the rest of the other defenders, I dug my toes into the ground and lunged with all my strength on every step.My ankles were sore from playing for so many hours, but that was not going to stop me. My ribs hurt from colliding with Morgan Mansfield during the previous game, but that was not going to stop me. My wrist hurt from slamming into the ground at the beginning of the game, but that was not going to stop me. My sprit however was more powerful than all of physical limitations combined. As the space between me and the disc shortened, my passion and determination grew larger. After I was almost within reach, I realized what had to be done. To snatch the disc from its natural path, I needed to dive and fully extend my body.The small plastic disc comprised of all my dreams and desires was floating right in front of me. I swung my arms to generate more momentum and I slammed my feet into the gro und like two pistons launching a projectile. Every ounce of my energy and soul was poured into this thrust. Before I could think of the consequences, I was already flying through the air. In the air, it did not matter that my body ached. It did not matter that I haven’t caught a pass the entire game. It did not matter what I got on my math test. It did not matter that the fall might hurt. All that mattered was catching the disc.With my adrenaline fueled hawk eyes, I saw the ridges on the disc spinning in a clockwise direction. I reached my hand out, with my thumb under the disc, clenching first with my index finger and then wrapping the rest of my fingers around the smooth curve of the disc.? Everything I dreamed and fantasized about was now resting in my hand. It was still not safe however. The ground had a hunger that only broken dreams could satisfy. As the wrath of the cruel turf approached, I raised the disc high above my head feeding my body as fodder to the savage unyi elding terrain.A bed of hot coals could have broken my fall, and I still would not have felt the pain. The glory of catching what was thought to be uncatchable completely overpowered any slight injuries. This glory rushed into my body and soul as a primitive roar rushed out. My teammates and even the players on the other team ran over to congratulate me on my game winning grab. Kings couldn’t have felt as empowered as I felt. ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though the adrenaline wore off and the grass stains came out of my shirt and the injuries healed, the memory of this amazing experience stayed with me.But to me, this memory is more than just a good catch. It was the most enlightening experience in my life. This catch, as well as every other aspect of Ultimate Frisbee, has taught me that with diligence, tenacity and focus, there is nothing that is unattainable. To me, Ultimate Frisbee is not a game. It is not a sport. I do not play it. I do not like it. Ultimate Frisbee is a way of life. I eat, sleep and dream about it. I love it. It does not take over my life. It is my life. Only with this type of devotion and dedication, can the unreachable be reached.

Punishing Race A Continuing American Dilemma - 979 Words

Professor Michael Tonry is the McKnight Presidential Professor of Criminal Law and Policy, director of the Institute on Crime and Public Policy of the University of Minnesota. He is one of the leading scholars of crime and punishment who has put race and race disparity at for front of the American Criminal Justice System and written many scholarly books on the topic. In his other works he has shaped an image of how racially minded the Criminal Justice System is and how such injustice has been applied to African Americans. Based on Tonry`s credentials, the book reviewed in this paper complies valuable and trustworthy statistics and information, and also author`s own experience in this particular field. The book â€Å"Punishing Race: A Continuing American Dilemma† is a work of Michael Tonry in which he tries to address the issue of disparity and discrimination toward African Americans and how systematically attitudes and mind set have shaped laws and limitations by the governmen t on this particular group of American society. The main question to which the author tries to find answer is: â€Å"How do that a long series of criminal justice policies that do special damage to black people were conceived, adopted, and carried out in a country in which few whites any longer believe in white supremacy or black inferiority† (Tonry, 2011, preface X). The question presented by Tonry is very important for the American society because it addresses an issue that not everyone wants toShow MoreRelatedPolice Violence Is More Than Violent Policing1369 Words   |  6 PagesBernasconi, R. (2014). When police violence is more than violent policing. 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