Plato’s Timaeus is an excellent insight into his musings on the nature of the universe, deities and human nature itself. The writings take the form of an extended dialogue, mostly composed of an extended soliloquy by the titular character. Drawing upon the ancient belief of the four basic elements: earth,...

In his Gorgias, Plato and Callicles argue over the intrinsic value of temperance and whether or not it is conducive to happiness. Callicles believes that to exert control over oneself is a deterrent to happiness and the thesis is that Plato believes happiness is not possible without some restraint. In...

Socrates is one of the most important and famous figures in western philosophy. Although there is little that exists of his actual teaching on its own, it is now known through the dialogues of his student Plato, which have become some of the most famous and influential pieces of philosophy...

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a famous French philosopher and one of the first most prominent people of the modern period when European thinkers began to develop innovative theories in scholastic philosophy. His primary interests were in physics and mathematics with the major concern on “methodology, justification, and certainty” (Wolff 42)....

1. Descartes’ goal in the Meditations is to discover and establish an absolute certain truth that cannot be doubted. By achieving this goal, Descartes would therefore find a clear and indisputable foundation for all human knowledge. However, the problem with this approach is a type of skepticism and a form...