Compare and contrast the rationalist and empiricist strategies( Essay

Compare and contrast the rationalist and empiricist strategies( Descartes vs. Locke) - Essay Example Even as this school of thought was popularized through Cartesian philosophy it has an extended lineage within philosophical schools of thought, dating from Greek antiquity to the modernist school exemplified by Immanuel Kant. It is not surprise then that there are a variety of competing perspectives on the issue, each of which can be situated along this philosophical continuum as they necessitate differing types of emphasis on the primacy of rational thought in the acquisition of knowledge. In terms of the Cartesian’ perspective, it was emphasized that only foundational truths could be understood through pure reason; different realities could only be grasped through scientific knowledge. The main crux of Descartes’ thought in the matter was that the physical world cannot completely be trusted to provide the thinker with a pure and unobstructed view of reality. In these regards, there is presented the famous deliberation on reality centered around dreams, as how is it po ssible for the individual to understand their existence is real as they could possibly be dreaming. For Descartes, thought and rational insight then becomes the basis for all reality. From the converse perspective, empirical knowledge constitutes the school of philosophical thought that argues the only knowledge that can be obtained is through experience.