Vices and Passions - Essay Example

Nevertheless, when my ambition becomes an obsession, I am inclined to destroy myself. It could be possible for me to do all means for me to reach my goals even if it means hurting other people in the process. On the other hand, if I do all the right ways and stick to the rules in achieving my dreams but fail in the end, I could experience great depression that can eventually hurt me. Thus, I should be ambitious but be sure to keep my motives in check. I am quite surprised to know that Descartes, a famous philosopher, thought that the most immediate cause of passions of the soul is the agitation of the little gland in the middle of the brain as it is moved by the spirits.

This shows that his generation was still strongly influenced by the beliefs of religion. Moreover, studies were not yet as much as they are today so that claims like Descartes’ are widely accepted although they are not yet scientifically proven. If Descartes were to offer this kind of philosophy today, people would demand him to prove it through science. Evidence that is scientifically based is now demanded by this generation in contrast to the time of Descartes.