Comparison Paper

Title: Comparison Paper

(The Meditations by Rene Descartes, Man a Machine by Julien Offray de La Mettrie & Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzche)

Course: History II

Name: Shielly Yunita

Instructor’s Name: Kent Max

Due Date: December 23rd 2012

I. Introduction

A. Topic: evaluate man’s similarities or differences with animals and to investigate the philosophical development of materialism as used in the defense against man’s nature

B. Q. How does materialism apply as a defense for man’s nature?

C. Plan: Compare and Contrast The Meditation by Rene Descartes, Man a Machine by La Mettrie & Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche

II. Background

A. Historical Context

B. Primary Sources

1. “The Meditation VI: Mind-Body Dualism” by Rene Descartes

2. “Man a Machine” by Julien Offray de La Mettrie

3. “Beyond Good and Evil” by Friedrich Nietzche

C. Secondary Sources

III. Analysis

A. The Meditations - links environmental and natural influences upon his body to their cause and meaning through use of his mind

B. Man a Machine - allowed a duality within the body that explained the difference between man and machine

C. Beyond Good and Evil - man was more of a creature forced to become an animal than an animal in that social conventions imposed limitations upon man’s potential

IV. Conclusion

A. The idea of materialism and its defense of man’s special positions in creation by looking at the argument as presented in The Meditations, Man a Machine & Beyond Good and Evil

B. Man’s society was designed to guide man as one would an animal

C. Nietzsche’s analysis and thought processes provided the best defenses against Aristotelian assertions on the nature of man by keeping from materialism to answer the question.

V. Reference Page

I. Introduction

The philosophy of the mind has been a subject of interest to philosophers over the...