Help with my homework

This assignment is in parts. Do answer each part carefully with each part having minimum of two hundred words.

Part1

Explain what it means that Plato is an epistemologic rationalist and why he is the foundation of rationalistic epistemology, including an explanation of Plato's analogy of the cave in your answer.

Part 2

How does Descartes' cogito evidence that he is an epistemologic rationalist? Please answer by responding to the following subquestions:

1. Who was Descartes?  When did he live?

2. What does it mean that he was an epistemic rationalist?

3. What was the process by which he arrived at his conclusion "cogito ergo sum"?

4. How is this statement reflective of his epistemic method of doubt?

5. In what fashion did the cogito constitute Descartes' epistemic turning point?

6. How did Descartes avoid solipsism? (What is solipsism? And how did he avoid becoming a solipsist?)

7. What was the role of God in Descartes reconstructing his epistemology?

8. How is this related to Descartes' problem of the external world?

Part 3

With regard to empiricism, fully explain the following:

1. Why was David Hume skeptical about the reliability of the senses?

2. How did Hume differ from Locke?

3. How did Hume differ from Berkley?

4. Discuss Hume's view of causation as related to the phrase "close proximity in time".

Plato:  Meno: Immortality of the Soul

http://www.classicallibrary.org/plato/dialogues/10_meno.htm (Links to an external site.)

Plato:  Phaedo: Immortality of the Soul

http://www.classicallibrary.org/plato/dialogues/14_phaedo.htm (Links to an external site.)

Descartes, Discourse on Method: Parts 1, 2

http://www.classicallibrary.org/plato/dialogues/10_meno.htm (Links to an external site.)

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Article:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationalism-empiricism/