Argumentative Essay Example: Innate Ideas in Philosophy

In philosophy, an innate idea refers to an idea that is inherent to the human mind as opposed to those ideas gained through experience. Rene Descartes argued that the most prominent exponents of innate ideas are the least certain ideas (for instance God, infinity) because there exists no empirical evidence of their origin that is conceivable. The theory which gained popularity in the 17th century took many forms with some scholars arguing that a newborn child has innate ideas while others argued that innate ideas are implicit in nature, both as dormant or as tendency (Bogataj, 11). In both instances, the ideas require appropriate experiential conditions to facilitate their development.

On the contrary, Locke argues that a newborn's mind is tabula rasa (blank state). He refutes the argument that there are innate ideas or God-given ideas in the mind but only the ability to gain. In other words, humans have innate ability to rationalize. According to Locke, if innate ideas existed, they would be common in all people. However, there exists no idea that is universally held by all people (Bogataj, 9-10). He further disagrees with earlier rationalists who posited that some ideas such as idea of God were innate and held universally by illustrating the existence of people who do not conceive such ideas (for instance the mentally ill and toddlers).

In the same way, Hume agrees that a newborn's mind is blank. However, he disagrees with the idea that human beings have innate ability to reason. Rather, Hume argues that all ideas are obtained through experience even the ability to reason. He further defined two types of experiences through which ideas are acquired: inward and outward impressions. Inward impressions refer to ideas gained through human senses while outward impressions are gained through internal reflection. It is worth noting that both Hume and Locke agree on the types of experiences through which complex and simple ideas are acquired (outward and inward impressions). The scholars concur that outward impressions entail gathering of simple ideas through sensory experiences while inward impressions entail gathering of complex ideas that are yet/could not be experienced through past experiences (Bogataj, 9-10).

Question 2

In order to answer the question whether substance dualism is true, it is important to look at the strengths and weaknesses of dualism. Substance dualism and property dualism are concepts that attempt to show the relationship between the physical and the mental. Also, it is worth noting that dualism was coined by Descartes who argued that a human mind is more than the physical brain. However, the concept originates from the Biblical teachings that tell us that humans are more than brains and body. In other words, humans have separate mind, soul, and spirit. The evidence for dualism is strong in the belief of the supernatural and that the world is more than materialism (Pojman and Vaughn, 242-255).However, rejecting the existence of supernatural negates the possibility of substance dualism.

The mind (mental realms) and the brain (physical realms) are two different things with different characteristics. The mental activities have subjective characteristics such as feeling and sound. Such sensations cannot be modified to something physical. The same argument is supported by evaluating a damaged brain. When brain damage occurs either due to drug abuse or disease, an individual's mental abilities are affected. If the brain and mind were two separate entities, the mental abilities would not be affected.

Works Cited

Bogataj, Yvonne. Empiricism Vs. Rationalism: the Innate Character of Language. Munich: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2005. (9-10). Print.

Pojman, Louis P, and Lewis Vaughn. Philosophy: The Quest for Truth. , 2016. (242-255) Print.