The Truth Term Paper Sample

Buddha was a great philosopher. His scope of philosophical thought is really impressive. Noteworthy are his thoughts about truth: its metaphysics and epistemology. It will be quite interesting to compare the teachings of the Buddha with the views of Plato, Socrates and Rene Descartes. However, firstly it is needed to examine each of them separately.
Buddha's doctrine has the form of the Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth states that the basic characteristic of human existence suffering and frustration. The Second Noble Truth explains the reason for suffering is "clinging", "affection". It is senseless attachment to life. According to the Third Noble Truth, we can stop the suffering and frustration. The Fourth Noble Truth points out means of getting rid of the suffering by calling to follow the Eightfold Path of self-improvement, which leads to Buddhahood. Buddha considered his teaching not as a coherent philosophical system, but as a mean to enlightenment.
Socrates and Plato are the founders of the classical concept of truth. This concept is the most popular among philosophers and scientists, because it assumes that scientists are not doing their hypotheses on your own, and discover the objective laws of the universe. They understand the truth as an objective, independent of individuals, classes and humanity.
Descartes understands by truth as something that does not correspond to reality. It is the knowledge of pre-experienced structures of sensibility and understanding, the components of the human consciousness. Because they provide the contours of all the information received, that they are the source of truth. Descartes also takes the criterion of truth – truth is that knowledge that is clearly and distinctly.
According to the foregoing, it is difficult to find points of contact with the views of the philosopher. It is necessary to consider the philosophical knowledge of these thinkers as a self-sufficient and qualitatively different. However, it is possible to find similarities between the Buddha and Rene Descartes. After all, these thinkers found metaphysics of truth in the existence of the personality.