Certainty or Faith? Arendt's and Merleau-Ponty's Critique of Cartesian Foundationalism

Epistemological foundationalism has for centuries attempted to unify all scientific inquiry into the context of one grand science, the first philosophy. One of the most important tasks of this tradition has been to ground all knowledge on absolutely certain foundations. In this master s thesis I ask the following question: To what extent and under what conditions is it possible to achieve absolute certainty in the sense of the attempts of Cartesian foundationalism? By examining how the 20th century philosophers, Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961) interpret the epistemological methodology of René Descartes, I claim that the Cartesian achievement of absolute certainty rests on the implicit presupposition of an epistemologically prior form of faith in the world and trust (pistis) in other conscious beings. I show that knowledge is possible only within the context of a common world that is inhabited by several conscious beings that share a common linguistic system. This threefold element is shown to be the bedrock condition for any kind of philosophical inquiry. The main literature sources for this thesis are The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt, Le Visible et l invisible by Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Meditationes de Prima Philosophiae by René Descartes and Erfahrung und Urteil by Edmund Husserl.

Merleau-Ponty: uma ontologia do visível

This work discusses the ontology of the visible at the thought of Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961), which points to a depth and opacity of the perceived world that oppose transparency of geometric world thought by René Descartes (1596-1650). At first we approached the Cartesian discourse developed in Dioptrics Descartes, the first of three scientific discourses published in 1637, being introduced by the famous Discourse method. In this sense, this research discusses the mechanistic explanation that the modern philosopher has the vision, process comprising the formation of images on the retina and its communication to the brain, and the subsequent reading performed by an immaterial mind. Discusses the notion of image as a result of the interpretation of the spirit because, for Descartes, is not the eye that sees, but the spirit that reads and decodes the signals that the body receives the world. At another point, reflected on the criticism of the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty at the thought of overflight present in Dioptrics Descartes. Therefore, it takes as its reference the third part of the book The Eye and the Spirit (1961), in which the intellectualist approach of vision is considered a failed attempt to move away from the visible to rebuild it from anywhere . In this sense, it reflects on a new ontology proposed by Merleau-Ponty thinking being without departing from the puzzles of the body and vision. Puzzles that show a promiscuity between the seer and the seen, between sentient and sensitive. Thus, this paper discusses how visibility was treated by the contemporary philosopher, not as something to be judged by the spirit to get a real nature of things, but as a manifestation of the same things. Finally, this research explores the ontology of the visible in merleaupontiano thought, an ontology that does not rebuild or appropriates visible by a thought of overflight, but what you do from your own visibility as compared original and constant with depth in the world.

Merleau-Ponty: uma ontologia do visível

This work discusses the ontology of the visible at the thought of Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961), which points to a depth and opacity of the perceived world that oppose transparency of geometric world thought by René Descartes (1596-1650). At first we approached the Cartesian discourse developed in Dioptrics Descartes, the first of three scientific discourses published in 1637, being introduced by the famous Discourse method. In this sense, this research discusses the mechanistic explanation that the modern philosopher has the vision, process comprising the formation of images on the retina and its communication to the brain, and the subsequent reading performed by an immaterial mind. Discusses the notion of image as a result of the interpretation of the spirit because, for Descartes, is not the eye that sees, but the spirit that reads and decodes the signals that the body receives the world. At another point, reflected on the criticism of the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty at the thought of overflight present in Dioptrics Descartes. Therefore, it takes as its reference the third part of the book The Eye and the Spirit (1961), in which the intellectualist approach of vision is considered a failed attempt to move away from the visible to rebuild it from anywhere . In this sense, it reflects on a new ontology proposed by Merleau-Ponty thinking being without departing from the puzzles of the body and vision. Puzzles that show a promiscuity between the seer and the seen, between sentient and sensitive. Thus, this paper discusses how visibility was treated by the contemporary philosopher, not as something to be judged by the spirit to get a real nature of things, but as a manifestation of the same things. Finally, this research explores the ontology of the visible in merleaupontiano thought, an ontology that does not rebuild or appropriates visible by a thought of overflight, but what you do from your own visibility as compared original and constant with depth in the world.

El problema de conceptualización del terrorismo dentro de la disciplina de las Relaciones Internacionales: Un análisis desde la perspectiva histórico conceptual

Los hechos ocurridos durante el 11 de septiembre de 2001 se constituyeron como un momento fundamental en los intentos de conceptualización del terrorismo internacional dentro de la disciplina de las Relaciones Internacionales. A raíz del 9/11 tuvo lugar la resemantización del concepto de terrorismo internacional en función del terrorismo religioso y del fundamentalismo islámico. Lo anterior, marco una ruptura en el campo de experiencia y en el horizonte de expectativas del concepto mismo, pues este último adquirió un nuevo uso discursivo, y por ende, político. Por eso, ante la necesidad de emprender un análisis discursivo de los usos del concepto de terrorismo internacional, se evidencia cómo al estar inmersos en determinados juegos del lenguaje, el uso discursivo de este concepto termina por convertirse en una herramienta de acción política que promueve una forma de vida.

The myth of metaphor.

Mode of access: Internet.

Regulae ad directionem ingenii /

Mode of access: Internet.

Index scolasto-cartesien.

Mode of access: Internet.

Sapientia, 1950, Vol. V, nº 17 (número completo)

Contenido: Descartes o la aventura del angelismo (1650-1950) / La Dirección – El método y la certidumbre en la ciencia política / Benito R. Raffo Magnasco – Thibon intérprete de Nietzsche / Héctor Delfor Mandrioni – La nueva orientación filosófica del Brasil / Evaldo Pauli – El problema moral / Carlo Giacon – Notas y comentarios -- Bibliografía

一种含运动固壁超声速流动的Descartes网格算法

提出一种Descartes网格算法,用于数值求解含任意复杂及运动固壁的超声速流动问题.采用位标集函数确定和跟踪流-固界面.引入虚网格技术处理流-固边界条件,并沿法向和切向分别进行计算.该算法简单、稳健,可与高阶有限差分格式并用.选取一组一维/二维静止或运动物体绕流算例,验证其有效性.

Unselective regrowth buried heterostructure long-wavelength superluminescent diode realized with MOVPE

A novel unselective regrowth buried heterostructure (BH) long-wavelength superluminescent diode (SLD), which has a grade-strained bulk InGaAs active region, was developed by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The 3 dB emission spectrum bandwidth of the SLD is about 65 nm with the range from 1596 to 1661 nm at 90 mA and front 1585 to 1650 nm at 150 mA. An output power of 3.5 mW is obtained at 200 mA injection current under CW operation at room temperature. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Archbishop William King (1650-1729) and the Constitution of Church and State

Accepted Version

PHILIPPE ROGIER (c.1561-1596): MISSA INCLITA STIRPS JESSE. A CRITICAL AND PERFORMING EDITION WITH PERFORMANCE COMMENTARY

The dissertation comprises two parts: (a) a musical edition and (b) a performance given on 3 July, 2008 of Philippe Rogier’s Missa Inclita stirps Jesse. The dissertation explores some of the editorial decisions required, how the demands of performers and musicologists differ, and whether they can be reconciled in one single edition. The commentary explains the preparation and realization of the edition. A video recording of the concert performance is attached to the dissertation. The Mass: The Missa Inclita stirps Jesse was published in Madrid in 1598 in a collection entitled Missae Sex. The mass setting is for four voices, except the Agnus Dei, which is for five, and is based on musical material in the motet Inclita stirps Jesse by Jacobus Clemens non Papa (c. 1510-15 – c.1556-6). Rogier’s choice and use of musical material from the motet (published in 1549) are discussed in the dissertation. The Edition: The edition is made from a microfilm copy of the Missae Sex held in the Biblioteca del Conservatorio de Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan. The Missae Sex was originally dedicated to King Philip II of Spain (1527-1598, reg. 1556-1598), whom Rogier had served as chorister and then maestro de capilla. Both Rogier and King Philip died before the volume was ready for publication. One of Rogier’s pupils, Géry de Ghersem, prepared the volume, which was printed in 1598, dedicated to King Philip III. The Performance: The mass was performed at a concert of Spanish Renaissance music in St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Washington, DC, on 3 July 2008, sung by the ensemble Orpheus directed by Philip Cave as part of the Chorworks summer workshop entitled Kings and Conquistadors: Music of Old and New Spain.