Rene Descartes is considered a large influencer of philosophical and psychological ideas. He is also recognized for contributing and discovering many fundamental concepts of calculus, geometry, and other forms of mathematics. Descartes is a rationalist that strived to live his life based on logic; he also accredited knowledge as being a focal part in his life. He lived from 1596- 1650 and is most famous for his phrase “Cogito ergo sum” which translates to “I think... therefore, I am.”
Rene
Descartes is famous for his writing and contribution to the world of
philosophy. He is considered the father of modern philosophy because he was one
of the first philosophers to branch out and base his principles entirely on
logic, not religion/ a higher power. Descartes believed that humans have a
tendency of misusing their minds by not thinking enough. He also believed in
solitude; he was able to discover more knowledge by thinking to himself. Descartes
books expressed his vast experiences with knowledge and helped many people by
explaining how to work through problems. He developed a Method of doubts, which
was a way of sorting out problems into smaller issues. He also categorized
peoples’ passions into 6 areas that he believed branched into every other
potential passion in existence. “Each problem that I solved became a rule, which served afterwards to solve other problems.”
-Rene Descartes
https://www.biography.com/scholar/rene-descartes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kIatZjJs5I
Rene Descartes relied entirely on his senses. He did not trust that he was not always dreaming, which is why he believed the only way to prove he existed was by thinking. He was only certain that he was thinking, but he could not be certain of anything else. He contributed so much to society such as cartesian theory and he also created the method of logical skepticism to attempt to discover the ultimate question of the nature of existence. He proved many mathematical and scientific concepts; everything that children learn in school is entirely base on Rene Descartes work and research. He spent his entire life seeking knowledge and explanation for why people and objects exist. He developed many influential concepts that have helped many people find a better understanding of how to cope with problems and understand more about their own personal philosophy.
References:
https://www.essentiallifeskills.net/descartes.html
https://www.biography.com/scholar/rene-descartes
Comment links:
https://www.blogger.com/profile/18201037495212879228
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I found this very informative, I honestly had no idea who he was or that he is considered the father of modern philosophy. I do like knowing that he tends to focus on logic, rather than be influenced by religion. I feel that this makes for better philosophy since it can be backed up by facts and reasoning.
ReplyDeleteYou had no idea? Guess the quarantine came too soon.
DeletePretty fuzzy cartoon, for a guy who so valued "clear and distinct perceptions"...
ReplyDeleteExactly backwards, in my view: "he was able to discover more knowledge by thinking to himself"...
"everything that children learn in school is entirely base on Rene Descartes work and research" -- slight overstatement, that.
An error, surely: "he believed the only way to prove he existed was by thinking"... As Milan Kundera says in our sidebar, "'I think, therefore I am,' is the statement of an intellectual who underrates toothaches."
Can you guess that I'm not a fan? There's a book called "Descartes' Error" by Antonio Damasio, there could be several sequels. But he's still an important early-modern philosopher, because we're still working to unravel his confusions.
Mixing logic and philosophy is an interesting idea because some philosophical logic can be objective. Rene Descartes believed solitude was the best way to think while peripatetics school relied on walking to free the mind. The method of doubts seems like a great approach to tackling large problems. Great work.
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