Essay on René Descartes - 759 Words

Renà © Descartes Renà © Descartes was a French philosopher and also mathematician. His method of doubt led him to the famous cogito ergo sum when translated means I am thinking, therefore I exist. This cogito was the foundation for Descartes quest for certain knowledge. He explored doubt and how we can prove our own existence, by taking the first steps of scepticism. His book Meditations On First Philosophy, was written in six parts. Each representing the six days that God took to create the world. Not to upset the Church, Descartes would need to prove the existence of God, and the soul. Within Descartes argument, we find some important areas. Two, which require focus, are his†¦show more content†¦He came to the conclusion, that to doubt is to think; and to think is to exist. An example in Russells Western philosophical thought is that anything, which doubts, understands, affirms, conceives, wills, denies, imagines and feels is something, which is thinking. And feeling, when it occurs in dr eams, is thought. So therefore anything which thinks, also too exists. In Descartes wax example, he takes a piece of wax from the honeycomb in its solid form. He observes that there are certain things, which are apparent towards the senses. The taste of the honey, its temperature (cold), the size, the colour, and when you tap it, it makes a sound. Yet, if we place the wax near heat, or a fire, the features and qualities change. No longer is the shape the same. It has become hot, and when you tap it there is no sound. This is the wax in its liquid form. So is the wax we see now, the same wax we saw before these changes? Before these changes were apparent, Descartes pointed out the difficulties of relying on the senses, of the physical body. In section 31 of Meditation two, he says that the perception he has, is a case not of vision or touch or imagination - nor has it ever been, despite previous appearances - but of purely mental scrutiny. Descartes shows that our senses cannot be used to have knowledge of things in the external world, and that knowledge of these things must come through the mind alone.Show MoreRelated The Meditations by Rene Descartes1003 Words   |  5 PagesIn Descartes’ Meditations, his goal to prove the existence of things could only be accomplished if he was logical, clear, and correct in his thoughts and writings. The most important issues he noted were the threat of being deceived and the potential of being incorrect in his judgments, both of which would lead him into error. Error exists as a problem that individuals encounter on a regular basis, and it also exists a s a focal point in Descartes’ Meditations. Descartes defines error as â€Å"a privationRead More Rene Descartes Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimedRead MorePhilosophy Of Rene Descartes860 Words   |  4 PagesRene Descartes is an extremely influential philosopher from the 17th century and is widely considered the father of modern philosophy. One of Descartes’s most famous philosophies is his cogito ergo sum statement: I think, therefore, I am (Descartes, 2008). He believed that because he is a thing that thinks, then he must have some kind of consciousness or awareness of the world. Because he has consciousness, he reasons that he must exist, especially since he is aware that he is a thing that thinksRead More Rene Descartes Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesI think, therefore I am Rene Descartes was a man obsessed with finding things out for himself, an intellectual who contributed to the field of psychology. Born in the 16th century, Descartes grew up in a society where ideas, thoughts and perceptions were not questioned but were supposed to be understood and supported. While growing up and through his studies, Descartes began to make strides in the fields of philosophy, mathematics and science. Descartes was a man who challenged accepted ideasRead MoreAppraisal of Renà © Descartes1209 Words   |  5 Pages Meditations on First Philosophy and The Passions of the Soul, Renà © Descartes lays out his views on the mind. Descartes is a dualist, specifically an interactionalist, which is someone who believes that mental states and physical states are distinct from one another, yet still affect each other. This view, however, faces significant obstacles, to which Descartes believes he has an answer for. In this paper I will outline Descartes’ argument for the distinctness between the mind and body, explicateRead MoreA Brief Biography of Rene Descartes1580 Words   |  6 Pagesworks of philosopher Rene Descartes, who had endorsed the mechanistic conception of the world and the human body by coining notions such as mind, substance, and the knowledge argument; although his notions were not always accepted, he managed to provide valid support. Born in France, Rene Descartes, dubbed The Father of Modern Philosophy was, in a way, a Renaissance man having contributed influence amongst subjects such science, mathematics, psychology, and philosophy. Descartes was the medium ofRead MoreA Brief Look at Rene Descartes829 Words   |  3 Pages Rene Descartes was a brilliant man who came up with many inventions and thoughts to put in people’s minds and let them ponder off and question life in itself. In one of the many things Rene Descartes created, he wrote a book called Discourse on the Method and Meditations. Descartes discusses how there are two main proofs of God’s existence, the casual argument in meditation three and the ontological argument in meditation five. There are a few differences between these two meditations and one isRead MoreThe Meditations of Rene Descartes Essay493 Words   |  2 PagesThe Meditations of Rene Descartes In 1916 Rene Descartes wrote What I wish to finish is . . . an absolutely new science enabling one to resolve all questions proposed on any order of continuos or discontinuous quantities. (p8 Methods Meditations). He made this ambitious statement at the young age of twenty-three. Renes ambition would take him far but it kept him from becoming the Aristotle of the modern age. The Meditations were an attempt to solve the many questions about life, existenceRead MoreRene Descartes and John Locke698 Words   |  3 PagesRene Descartes was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and writer. Many elements of his philosophy have precedent in late Aristolelianism and earlier philosophers like St. Augustine. Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum, translation in En glish I think therefore I am.Read MoreEssay about Rene Descartes1730 Words   |  7 PagesRene Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 in La Haye Touraine, France. Descartes was considered a jack of all trades, making major contributions to the areas of anatomy, cognitive science, optics, mathematics and philosophy. He has been referred to as the father of modern rationalism, soldier of fortune, scholar, pilgrim, traveler, and a firm adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. He was educated at the Jesuit college of La Fleche in Anjou. He entered the college at the age of eight years, just