Descartes’ Rationalism vs Locke’s Empiricism
John Locke and René Descartes were both seventeenth-century philosophers. They are considered to be some of the first modern philosophers. Locke and Descartes both sought to better understand and define the idea of self, seen in the debate between mind and body. Along with that, they sought to define the knowledge and where one acquires knowledge.
A rationalist is someone who believes that knowledge comes from the mind, through activities such as cognition, or thinking. An idealist is someone who believes individuals have a knowledge of ideas and concepts. Descartes is both a rationalist and an idealist. This is seen in his Mediations on First Philosophy during his First Mediation when he describes
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Meaning that he believed the mind and physical body are separate realties (Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy). Since he believed that knowledge was derived from within an individual 's own brain he believed that is where their identity came from. This is seen in his Second Meditation when he said: "I think, therefore I am (Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy).” It is apparent that he believes one’s identity comes from the mind when he states “It seemed quite out of character for a body to be able to initiate movement, or to be able to initiate movements, or to be able to sense and think. (Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy).” Descartes believed that one’s identity is found in their mind because it allows one to think, and not in their physical body. He describes a body as a physical thing that takes up matter (Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy). For Locke, his sense of self rested in his sense-perceptions. He believed that one 's more complex ideas were formed through impressions they received through their senses. Locke believed that without the physical body one’s mind would not be able to process sense-perceptions, therefore one’s identity must be found in their