Throughout the course of time mankind has sought to understand the world around them. In ancient times, the resources used to gain knowledge would have included myths, religions, natural sciences, or perhaps even using philosophical techniques.

... Table of Contents Contents Section Introduction 1.0 Rationalism 2.0 - 2.2 Descartes 3.0 - 3.11 Cartesian method In search of indubitable premises Further pursuit of certainty Evaluation of Descartes Empiricism 4.0 Hume 5.0 - 5.5 Hume's study His views Evaluation of Descartes Conclusion 6.0 Bibliography 7.0 1.0 Introduction Throughout the course of time mankind has sought to understand the world around them. In ancient times, the resources used to gain knowledge would have included myths, religions, natural sciences, or perhaps even using philosophical techniques. People were inquisitive as to why they existed, as to how the universe operated, and of course, they sought to gain knowledge about themselves. However, this instinct is not unique; it is probably the fundamental characteristic that human beings have possessed since their evolution. Therefore one would conclude that humans instinctively seek knowledge. However, ever since the renaissance, philosophers have questioned the whole concept of knowledge. Particularly, they were asking questions such as, what is knowledge? How

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