The phrase, "cogito, ergo sum; I think, therefore I am" is an example of the logic Descartes employs in his discussion. James, however, was a pragmatist, following the philosophy: the end justifies the means. Pragmatism is an offset from the empirical movement and carries with it the idea that experiment and controlled observation can be used to determine the truth. To present his ideas on truth, James employs the use of hypotheses, and classifies them as live or dead. He also uses the idea of options and classifies them as forced or momentous. James then persists to elaborate on his beliefs about truth. Truth is the basis of discussion in these pieces, and its definition is the main aim of these three philosophers.
The idea of truth is a pivotal aspect of their arguments. In "Allegory of the Den", Plato concludes that Absolute truth does exist; stressing that one should strive in their lives to ascertain it. According to Plato, perception is a veil over our eyes. What we perceive as true is not always reality, and we hide in illusions because we don't want to let go. Plato believes that enlightenment and Absolute truth take resident in the intellectual sphere of life. Absolute truth cannot be seen through the "bodily eye". Rather, one has to look through the mind's eye, being careful not to slip from "divine contemplations to the evil state of man". Descartes, on the other hand, takes the position that perception is omnipotent, describing it as "clear and distinct". In his attempt to assert what exists and is true, Descartes makes his ideas "conform to the uniformity of rational scheme". He endeavours to assert what start out as conjectures through logical reasoning. Truth is determined by tangibility and feasibility, as Descartes himself states, "[all] things which I perceive very clearly and very distinctly are true". Whilst Plato asserts that there is Absolute Truth to which everyone is subjective, Descartes believes that the search for truth is personal, and therefore subjective to the individual.
