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Descartes Greek Analysis

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Question 1: In order to establish a solid foundation for knowledge, Descartes uses a method called the Cartesian doubt. In this form of analyzing knowledge, Descartes starts out by doubting everything he knows and all the knowledge he might have acquired in life. This creates an opportunity for him to eliminate all foundations of knowledge that are doubtful. Through this method of analysis, Descartes hopes to be left with one strong assertion that can act as the foundation of all knowledge. Descartes wants to be left with a conclusion that cannot be doubted no matter what. The Meditations, present this process as explicated by Descartes. One of the notable characteristics of this method as used by Descartes is that it follows a systematic …show more content…

However, further research led Katz and Postal to distance themselves from the ideas presented by Chomsky. They presented a different idea altogether, meant to discredit Chomsky’s ideas. First and most importantly, Katz and Postal move from the idea that linguistics is about the study of mental concepts. They present the idea that linguistics is a study of abstract objects which is completely different from Chomsky’s initial idea. According to Katz and Postal, linguistics is all about studying the objects that make up language. These include sentences, words, grammar, and all other objects that make up language. The two scholars move away from Chomsky’s idea that linguistics is a psychological concept that can only be understood if studied from this perspective. Further Katz and Postal present the argument that Chomsky’s idea of conceptualism is incoherent and is not suitable as a description of linguistics. This is because language is all about abstract objects and the mental approach taken by Chomsky is wrong. Focusing on the mental issues associated with language is not only unnecessary but also irrelevant as pointed out by Katz. Chomsky’s reply is based on proving that linguistics remains a psychological issue that can only be understand from such a perspective. I do not think that Chomsky’s approach is successful at all. This is because it does little to convince scholars from a different school of thought that his views are valid. In fact, it casts further doubt on the validity of his assertions regarding linguistics. In this perspective, Katz and Postal continue to draw the attention of other scholars against

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