Compare & Contrast: Plato, Descartes, & James

One way in which these writers differ is the way in which they present their arguments. Plato chooses to employ the use of dialogue in his piece “Allegory of the Den”. Through a short story Plato communicates his views on what we perceive as truth and the truth of what we perceive. When the chained prisoner escapes and is finally rel

Truth, through Plato’s “Allegory of the Den”, Descartes’ “From Skepticism to Conviction”, and James’ “Belief”, is portrayed primarily in an optimistic light. Truth can bring with it some sought of “vital good” or rescue one from man’s “evil state”. As Plato and James rise up the concept of “Absolute truth”, Descartes makes truth answerable to the individual. Truth is portrayed in different contexts, as if is defined in the tangible and intangible. James called science the assertor of that which “exists”, whilst Descartes began with doubting everything, even science itself. The concept of truth was addressed through numerous viewpoints and evaluated in respect of many medias. It denotation, connotation, nature, and very concept is questioned. Plato, Descartes, and James all attempt to prove to themselves that such a concept exists, and although there arguments are not infallible, they do shed some light on the subject matter. The concept of truth; however, remains a mystery to mankind, a frontier that we will forever be trying to cross.

The idea of truth is a pivotal aspect of their arguments. In “Allegory of the Den”, Plato concludes that Absolute truth does exist; stressing that one should strive in their lives to ascertain it. According to Plato, perception is a veil over our eyes. What we perceive as true is not always reality, and we hide in illusions because we don’t want to let go. Plato believes that enlightenment and Absolute truth take resident in the intellectual sphere of life. Absolute truth cannot be seen through the “bodily eye”. Rather, one has to look through the mind’s eye, being careful not to slip from “divine contemplations to the evil state of man”. Descartes, on the other hand, takes the position that perception is omnipotent, describing it as “clear and distinct”. In his attempt to assert what exists and is true, Descartes makes his ideas “conform to the uniformity of rational scheme”. He endeavours to assert what start out as conjectures through logical reasoning. Truth is determined by tangibility an

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