Rene Descartes

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With the French philosopher Rene Descartes we move into the modern period of Western philosophy, which, as we will see presents something of a challenge to traditional metaphysical claims and ambitions. Modern thinkers are typically more skeptical of ultimate answers to the questions we have been asking. The moderns focus their energies on more practical questions, and through this concentration they lay the foundations of modern science. Many modern philosophers, like Descartes begin with an attempt to tear down the tradition through a reassessment of human knowledge. In this DB I want you to read the first two of his Meditations, in which Descartes strips away all previous knowledge in an attempt to find some foundation that is absolutely indubitable (that is, something that one could not possibly doubt it). His method is “universal hyperbolic doubt.” His question in this exploration is: What am I absolutely certain that I know, if anything? (Notice that for the first time in history a philosopher presents his study as a first-person narrative: “This is the question I asked myself…This is what I discovered.”

For this Reflection Essay you should read Meditations I and II. Discuss what you understand of one of the following:

1. How does Descartes consider the existence of God in the first two Meditations? What role does the “Evil Genius” (a supremely powerful being who is malicious and spends all of His or Hers or Its Power trying to deceive Descartes) – this is logically possible, by the way.

2. Descartes’ famous conclusion to his search is the existence of his own conscious: “I am, I exist.” (p. 107). In another book he gives it a more familiar phrasing: “I think, therefore I exist.” This probably the most famous line in the history of Western philosophy (in Latin: Cogito, ergo sum). What does Descartes accomplish with this discovery? What does it mean to you?Your

Sample Solution

degree of flexibility so that changes are possible without damaging the economy or contentment of the people. It must cope with the changing needs of politics, with tax rates changing year on year to deal with contributing factors, but should clearly be announced, and change of leadership in short successions, with a minimum of 5 years in the UK.

Convenience

Every tax should be levied in such a manner and at such a time that it gives the tax payer maximum convenience. Tax in the UK is generally collected by either taking from the tax payer before they receive the rest of the money, known as the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system, or they pay it directly to the government (HMRC).

Economy

The cost of collecting tax should be the minimum so that a major part of collection is towards the treasury. If administration expenses consumes a large portion of tax revenue, it cannot be said it is a good tax system. Tax systems vary around the world due to historical and institutional differences, but any good system must seek the least aggregate sacrifice in its tax policies. For 2018, the UK government spent 2% of their total spending on general government where HMRC is included (Chantrill, 2019).

Extra Characteristics

Simplicity

Tax should be so simple that any tax payer can understand its computation and complications without the help of an expert. It would also reduce the chance of tax evasion as it will not bother the individual to pay tax. A simple tax system is also beneficial for the government due to spending less time and money. A tax system that treats similar economic activities in similar ways for tax purposes will tend to be simpler and avoid discrimination between people and economic activities. However it can sometimes be efficient to discriminate between diffe

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