Browsing by Subject "Descartes"
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Item A True Mode of Union: Reconsidering the Cartesian Human Being(2012-07-16) Carlson, AmberWhen considering the nature of the human being, Descartes holds two main claims: he believes that the human being is a genuine unity and he also holds that it is comprised of two distinct substances, mind and body. These claims appear to be at odds with one another; it is not clear how the human being can be simultaneously two things and one thing. The details of Descartes' metaphysics of substance exacerbates this problem. Because of various theological and epistemological commitments, Descartes frames his metaphysics of substance in a way that ensures mind and body's real distinction from one another. Articulated from this perspective, the problem becomes one wherein it is not clear that two completely separate substances can come together to form one entity. The aim of this thesis is to show how Descartes can hold real distinction and true union without contradiction. To this end, I will first detail the problem and outline a variety of solutions that have already been presented. Then I will outline important concepts relating to Descartes' metaphysics of substance and attributes. This not only reveals the depth of the problem but also lays the groundwork for my proposed solution. I argue that the key to understanding how these two claims are consistent and in accord with Descartes' philosophy is through a comment Descartes makes to his contemporary Henricus Regius where he urges that the union of mind and body is achieved through a "mode of union." I substantiate this claim by arguing for the intelligibility of understanding union as a modal attribute within Descartes' framework. Finally, I show how Descartes can hold real distinction and true union with consistency. When union is understood as a mode, mind and body are able to exist apart from one another, ensuring real distinction. Moreover, union construed as a mode does not allow the complete separability of mind and body. Thus, when united, mind and body achieve the kind of unity Descartes desires for the human being.Item Automatic generation of program code from descartes specifications(2011-05) Rattan, PraneetAutomatic programming can be defined as the synthesis of a program from a given specification. The history of automatic programming can be traced back from the 1950s where Admiral Grace Murray Hopper developed the concept of automatic programming with a compiling system by using words instead of mathematical symbols. Automatic programming is the systematic generation of a program from a given specification. The goal of automatic programming is to allow programmers to specify what a program should do, and let the system generate the program code describing how the given program will work. Programs can be specified using a constructible, formal, and comprehensible specification language. Descartes is one such formal specification language, based on the functional model and has the advantages of easy constructability and comprehensibility. In Descartes, specifications are described by defining the input and output data and relating the output data as a function of the input data. This research effort analyzed the various approaches towards automatic programming and reduces the gap between specification and implementation, by introducing a method to automatically transform a Descartes specification of a program into program code in Java. However, programming extends to all fields of computer science. Hence, the scope of this research was limited to automatic implementation of programs from the domain of arithmetic problems, involving basic mathematical functions only.Item Descartes and the creation of the eternal truths(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Harfoush, Cale JosephDescartes' philosophy concerning the relationship between God and the eternal truths has been an unresolved and problematic issue since he first declared it. For Descartes, God's power is limitless and nothing can exist independently of Him. The problem is that if that is true, things such as "God knows that he does not exist" are possible because the truth of that proposition rests on God's power. In fact, the existence of any eternal truth depends on God??????s power. Examples of such truths are: "the interior angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles," "3+4=7," and "two contraries cannot exist together." Descartes built his entire metaphysics around a certain conception of God, a conception that includes His not being a deceiver. But if it turns out that God is as limitless as Descartes thinks He is, Descartes' philosophy does not rest on as firm a foundation as he believes. In fact, it is inconsistent: we know what we clearly and distinctly perceive because God would not deceive us and his power is unlimited. But since His power is absolutely unlimited, it might be the case that God is not a deceiver and everything we know is true, but at the same time we have been misled by God and there is an actual reality we are not, and will never be, privy to. There have been a number of attempts to make Descartes?????? view consistent. I consider two of the most recent and promising lines of interpretation. The first, Universal Possibilism, holds that God??????s power is utterly limitless and He can make any proposition true, including problematic ones such as ??????I think, but I am not.?????? This theory argues that what we can and cannot conceive are merely epistemic limits rather than indicators of truth. The second, Limited Possibilism, maintains that God has power over the possibility of any proposition. Any proposition, under this view, is possibly possible; this preserves the integrity of the connection between what we conceive as true and what is actually true. The major drawback to this line of thought is that it puts an unintuitive limit on God: He can make something possible, but he can??????t then do the seemingly simple task of making that thing true. I argue that a proper understanding of Descartes' conception of the meanings of "possible," "impossible," "contingent,". "necessary" and God's nature renders his position consistent. Descartes holds that God necessarily exists, and his nature is immutable and the existence of anything else is contingent. If one interprets Descartes' God to hold limitless power over contingent propositions, but not over his nature or existence, Descartes' position is no longer inconsistent.