Descartes Discourse on the Method Essay - 825 Words

Descartes Discourse on the Method (Essay Sample) Content: Descartes' Discourse on the MethodName:Instructor:Course:Date:Descartes' Discourse on the MethodDescartes embarks on a journey of discovering the truth. However, he is aware that given the influence of opinion and the uncertain nature of the conclusions one is likely to arrive at, his first point is to seek a strong method by which to ascertain the truth of anything for that matter. He begins by rejecting as false everything regarding which he could imagine any doubt to find out whether this left him with anything entirely indubitable to believe (Descartes, 2007). He rejects the senses since they are at times deceptive. All the arguments he previously held to be demonstrative proofs are considered shaky now since men are prone to errors in their reasoning. Further, he assumes that his thoughts about reality and what he considers being such held no more truth than the illusions of his dreams. This is because the state of mind while one is awake can also occur while one is asleep and dreaming. This does not mean that these thoughts have any truth in them.One would expect that the line of reasoning adopted by Descartes would yield a thorough confirmation of truth, particularly of the absolute existence of the self. However, it leads him to a surprise conclusion, instead proving the existence of God. At this point, it would seem that his rejection of the existence of anything that he has the slightest doubt about would invariably lead to the rejection of the existence of God. This is because, superficially, it would appear easier to prove the existence of oneself rather than the existence of an entity whose being is a matter of conjecture rather than evidence. In other words, there is no certainty concerning the existence of God and it would appear that Descartes line of thought is directed towards its rejection. But it is worth considering how Descartes arrives, on the contrary, to the proof of the existence of God.Descartes realizes that while it is almost easy to reject every belief and idea that he had previously held because they cannot be taken as certain, there is, however, one thing that he cannot deny. By rejecting anything doubtful, and by keeping in check his own opinions, he is actively engaging in a process. In other words, he cannot deny that he is thinking. While he can reject the truth of the contents of his thought, he cannot reject the fact that at least there is something that is actively absorbing, filtering, assessing, re-assessing, and coordinating these contents; and this, he thinks, is him. As such, he feels satisfied and convinced that he exists because he thinks.The idea that he is thinking, therefore he exists becomes Descartes first principle because he believes that the truth of his existence is so firm that it could not be shaken. Consequently, this leads to the major question of what exactly he is. How he addresses this question and his reflection on his own being is what is somehow surprising. O ne would assume that from this point on, Descartes would more boldly and conclusively delve into an exercise of self evaluation and thoroughly engage in a discourse with the self, thus, providing concrete answers concerning what constitutes the self. For instance, it would be assumed that Descartes would engage in deeper inquiries about the nature of his material composition and whether this at all has any influence on his being a thinking thing. On the contrary, he brushes aside the element of material composition and this is understandable given that his method is based on doubt assumedly of the reality of physical existence.While it is easy for Descartes to doubt the truth of existence of physical things, he realizes that he cannot doubt the truth of his existence simply because he is aware of himself through thinking. This teaches him that he is a substance whose whole essence or nature is simply to think, and which does not need any place, or depends on any material thing in or der to exist (Descartes, 2007, p. 15). This position...

Misogyny in Taming of the Shrew - Literature Essay Samples

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew is often criticized for its seemingly misogynistic themes: namely, the idea of breaking a woman’s spirit and making her subservient to her husband. This is apparent through the â€Å"taming† of the play’s lead female character, Katherine Minola. Katherine, better known as Kate, is hard-headed, stubborn, and prone to speaking her mind. In the patriarchal society of Shakespeare’s day, which valued weak and submissive woman, her behavior does not go over well with her male counterparts. Thus, throughout the play, her groom, Petruccio, uses starvation, humiliation, and sleep deprivation to â€Å"break† her and turn her into what was then viewed as a proper bride the total antithesis of the character to which the audience is first introduced. That destruction of a strong and powerful woman into one suited for the Stepford Wives is controversial: should the play be viewed in a tongue-in-cheek manner, one criti cizing the society in which it takes place, or should it be taken literally and blasted as a work of anti-woman propaganda? Though it seems unusual for Shakespeare’s work, The Taming of the Shrew is ultimately riddled with misogyny and suggests the necessity of a subservient bride and the stifling of a woman’s voice. Kate’s sharp tongue becomes apparent in the play’s first scenes. After Horatio criticizes her, claiming that she will not find a mate unless she becomes kinder and gentler, Kate quickly delivers a scathing retort:I’ faith, sir, you shall never need to fear, / Iwis it not halfway to her heart; / But if it were to be, doubt not her care should be / To comb your noddle with a three-legg’d stool, / And paint your face, and use you like a fool. (1.1.61-65)As Horatio, Gremio, and Tranio witness Kate’s fiery spirit in action, they comment on the possibility of marrying such a strong-willed woman:Horatio: From all such devils, g ood Lord deliver us!Gremio: And me too, good Lord!Tranio: Husht, master, here’s some good pastime toward; / That wench is stark mad or wonderful forward!(1.1.66-69)Simultaneously, the men notice Bianca’s silence and seeming meekness, and judge her as quickly as they did Kate: while Kate is far too ardent to be a suitable bride, Bianca is ideal, with â€Å"mild behavior and sobriety.† Kate scoffs at the idea, referring to Bianca as a â€Å"pretty peat,† a spoiled little pet, and making apparent her contempt for Bianca and for the men’s general desire for a docile woman. Further evidencing Kate’s fierceness is a scene of dialogue between Kate and Petruccio, the man who will eventually tame her. The two seem to have somewhat of a battle of wits, each verbally sniping at the other. It is clear that Kate is intelligent and can hold her own in a verbal sparring match with any man. When Petruccio attempts civility, greeting her with, â€Å"Good mo rrow, Kate, for that’s your name, I hear,† Kate snaps in return, â€Å"Well have you heard, but something hard of hearing: They call me Katherine that do talk of me.† Petruccio continues to attempt to win her over with compliments and sweet talk:Petruccio: You lie, in faith, for you are call’d plain Kate, / And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst; / But Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom, / Kate of Kate-Hall, my super-dainty Kate, / For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate, / Take this of me, Kate my consolation— / Hearing thy mildness prais’d in every town, / They virtues spoke of, and they beauty sounded, / Yet not so deeply as to thee belongs, / Myself am mov’d to woo thee for my wife.(2.1.185-193)And while many women would have swooned over being called pretty and dainty, the more hard-hearted Kate is not at all moved. â€Å"Mov’d! in good time! Let him that mov’d / you hither remove you hence. I kne w you at the first / You were a movable.† The two continue to verbally spar, and with each flattery Petruccio utters, Kate responds with an insult.Petruccio: Why, what’s a moveable?Kate: A join’d-stool.Petruccio: Thou hast hit it; come sit on me.Kate: Asses are made to bear, and so are you.Petruccio: Women are made to bear, and so are you.Kate: No such jade as you, if me you mean.Petruccio: Alas, good Kate, I will not burthen thee, For knowing thee to be young and light.Kate: Too light for such a swain as you to catch(2.1.184-204)Petruccio’s use of the phrase â€Å"women are made to bear† demonstrates the play’s idea of women: while Kate means that asses are made to bear workloads, Petruccio insinuates that women are made to bear children, thus supporting the play’s continual suggestion of a woman’s place as a meek, servile being, good for little other than raising children and following the misogynistic overtones of the work as a whole. Comparing Kate’s fire in this scene with her speech in the play’s final scene leads the audience to recognize Kate as a broken woman. Her spirit is totally gone, and she seems to support all of the things about patriarchy that she once despised; she is now subservient to Petruccio and condemns women who act insubordinately to their husbands. To Kate, the husband is the wife’s king, keeper, governor, lord, sovereign, and head a far cry from the woman who initially spurned all such notions. Petruccio: Katherine, I charge thee tell these headstrong women / What duty they do owe their lords and husbands. Kate: Fie, fie, unknit that threat’ning unkind brow, / And dart not scornful glances from those eyes, to wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor. / . Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee / I am asham’d that women are so simple / To offer war where they should kneel for peace, / Or see k for rule, supremacy, and sway, / When they are bound to serve, love and obey. / Why are our bodies, soft, and weak, and smooth, / Unapt to toil and trouble in the world / But now I see our lances are but straws, / Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare†(5.2.133-174)So then, how can one account for this final scene, in which Kate delivers this passionate speech about the meekness of women and responds to Petruccio’s beck and call with absolutely no resistance? It is evident that he has destroyed her with his actions toward her during their â€Å"courtship.† He humiliates Katherine by purposely dressing distastefully and riding a diseased animal at their wedding, and then by dramatically leaving their wedding dinner with Katherine in tow. He also publicly announces what Kate means to him: I will be the master of what is mine own. / She is my goods, my chattels, she is my house, / My household stuff, my field, my barn, / My horse, my ox, my ass, my anythi ng(3.2.229-232)This kind of public humiliation can be seen as part of Kate’s ultimate collapse as a person. One can only bear so much degradation before it affects his or her persona, weakening the will, and Kate is a clear demonstration of this. Moreover, whisking Kate away from dinner and refusing to allow her to eat is also evidence of the starvation she endured at the hands of Petruccio. Petruccio also savagely beats his servants in front of Kate, assuring that he would never lay a hand on her but nonetheless instilling in her the knowledge that he has the potential to be a violent man. He proclaims that he will tame her by depriving her of her needs, disguising it as love and kindness. Thus I have politely begun my reign, / And ’tis my hope to end successfully. / My falcon now is sharp and passing empty, / For then she never looks upon her lure. / Another way I have to man my haggard, / To make her come, / And know her keeper’s call, / That is, to watch her / She eat no meat to-day, nor none shall eat; / Last night she slept not, nor to-night she shall not; / As with the meat, some undeserved fault / I’ll find about the making of the bed / This is a way to kill a wife with kindness.†(4.2.188-208)Thus, through this series of starvation, sleep deprivation, and humiliation, Kate becomes the docile shell of herself that she appears to be at the play’s close. As a whole, the work is anti-woman and shows the cruel and abusive destruction of a human. In the end, Kate’s â€Å"taming† is little more than the ruin of her spirit, and the work seems to praise brutality and malice toward women. A stark contrast to the feminist movement, it is no surprise that the work and its popularity are unnerving to many.