Who Was René Descartes?
At age 8, René Descartes was sent to Jesuit college of Henri IV, where he boarded for seven years. He was a good student, but is believed to have been sickly, since he didn't have to abide by the school's rigorous schedule, and was allowed to stay in bed until mid morning to rest. He studied rhetoric, logic, music and astronomy - which were considered "mathematical arts" - and, additionally, metaphysics, ethics, and natural philosophy. This helped him train for his future profession of philosopher. Descartes earned a baccalaureate in law at the University of Poitiers at age 22, but an influential teacher encouraged him to follow a course to apply mathematics and logic to understanding the natural world.
Descartes is considered to be the father of modern philosophy, because his ideas were so different to those that were considered common during the 17th century. His approach to elements of philosophy were new, because he believed in getting rid of inherited notions and "starting fresh." He wanted to "uncover the meaning of the natural world with rationality, through science and mathematics." This is considered a sort of extension to the approach of Sir Francis Bacon a few decades before.
His most famous works are Discourse on Method, which is one of the first important philosophical works not written in Latin, but in French, so that everyone could read the book and think for themselves. As well as Discourse on Method, Descartes also published Meditations on First Philosophy and Principles of Philosophy. Descartes believed that all the truths in the world were ultimately linked to each other, and as a result of this, he sought to uncover the meaning of the natural world with a rational approach through mathematics and science. Some consider Descartes' work an "extension" of the approach of Sir Francis Bacon a few decades prior. Additionally, Descartes' investigations on theoretical physics led numerous scholars to consider him a mathematician over a philosopher. He is responsible for the introduction of Cartesian geometry, which includes algebra.
René Descartes was never married, but had a daughter - Francine - who was born in the Netherlands in 1635. He moved to the country in 1928 seeing as life in France was too busy for him to focus on his work. Francine's mother was a maid in the home where Descartes was staying. He planned to have the girl educated in France, but she died of a fever at the age of 5.
Descartes lived in the Netherlands for more than 20 years, but he died in Stockholm, Sweden on February 11, 1650. He moved there less than a year before his death, as a result of the request of Queen Christina, in order to be her tutor in philosophy. It was at this point that the fragile health indicated by his early life persisted. He spent most of his mornings in bed, but the insistence of the queen on lessons at 5 o'clock in the morning led to Descartes' pneumonia, that proved to be fatal. He died at the age of 53.
Descartes' main contributions to the Age of Enlightenment can be summarized with his approach of combining mathematics and logic with philosophy, and using these as methods of explaining the physical world, which turned metaphysical when confronted with questions of theology. He contemplated the nature of existence and the relationship between the mind and the body, as well as the point of contact for the body and the soul. This also resulted in his definition of the idea of dualism, which was matter meeting non-matter. This concept proved to be controversial, simply because his main idea was using mathematics and logic to explain the natural world. Descartes invented methodological skepticism, also known as Cartesian doubt, hence turning everyone into a philosopher.
Descartes is considered to be the father of modern philosophy, because his ideas were so different to those that were considered common during the 17th century. His approach to elements of philosophy were new, because he believed in getting rid of inherited notions and "starting fresh." He wanted to "uncover the meaning of the natural world with rationality, through science and mathematics." This is considered a sort of extension to the approach of Sir Francis Bacon a few decades before.
His most famous works are Discourse on Method, which is one of the first important philosophical works not written in Latin, but in French, so that everyone could read the book and think for themselves. As well as Discourse on Method, Descartes also published Meditations on First Philosophy and Principles of Philosophy. Descartes believed that all the truths in the world were ultimately linked to each other, and as a result of this, he sought to uncover the meaning of the natural world with a rational approach through mathematics and science. Some consider Descartes' work an "extension" of the approach of Sir Francis Bacon a few decades prior. Additionally, Descartes' investigations on theoretical physics led numerous scholars to consider him a mathematician over a philosopher. He is responsible for the introduction of Cartesian geometry, which includes algebra.
René Descartes was never married, but had a daughter - Francine - who was born in the Netherlands in 1635. He moved to the country in 1928 seeing as life in France was too busy for him to focus on his work. Francine's mother was a maid in the home where Descartes was staying. He planned to have the girl educated in France, but she died of a fever at the age of 5.
Descartes lived in the Netherlands for more than 20 years, but he died in Stockholm, Sweden on February 11, 1650. He moved there less than a year before his death, as a result of the request of Queen Christina, in order to be her tutor in philosophy. It was at this point that the fragile health indicated by his early life persisted. He spent most of his mornings in bed, but the insistence of the queen on lessons at 5 o'clock in the morning led to Descartes' pneumonia, that proved to be fatal. He died at the age of 53.
Descartes' main contributions to the Age of Enlightenment can be summarized with his approach of combining mathematics and logic with philosophy, and using these as methods of explaining the physical world, which turned metaphysical when confronted with questions of theology. He contemplated the nature of existence and the relationship between the mind and the body, as well as the point of contact for the body and the soul. This also resulted in his definition of the idea of dualism, which was matter meeting non-matter. This concept proved to be controversial, simply because his main idea was using mathematics and logic to explain the natural world. Descartes invented methodological skepticism, also known as Cartesian doubt, hence turning everyone into a philosopher.
His essential belief |
Principles, Ideas and Legacy |
Descartes believed that scientists and people in general should reject old assumptions about the world. Rather than using experimentation like his predecessor, Sir Francis Bacon, Descartes relied heavily on mathematics and logic. His strongest belief was that everything should be doubted until proven by logic. The only thing he was certain of was the fact that he existed, therefore leading to his most famous quote: "I think, therefore I am," or, in Latin, "Cogito ergo sum." This quote came from his work Discourse on Method.
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The main idea Descartes promoted during his life was doubting everything until it could be proven with mathematics, science, logic, and simply general knowledge. One of his main contributions was a proposal of a "naturalistic account of the formation of the solar system." However, following Galileo's fate upon the proposal of the heliocentric theory at the hands of the inquisition, Descartes suppressed his beliefs about the solar system. He proved to be correct with his suspicions - later, Pope Alexander VII added his works to the Index of Prohibited Books. Descartes was alive during the Scientific Revolution, where the general public, especially the Roman Catholic Church, was not very accepting of new ideas. For this reason, ideas that went against the status quo, like Descartes', were not accepted as true. The scientific methods of the modern day can be credited to both Sir Francis Bacon and René Descartes, as scientists have shown that along with observation and experimentation, general mathematical laws can lead people to getting a better understanding of the natural world.
René Descartes greatly influenced modern philosophy, including the basis of early United States government (Declaration of Independence). |
Statistic: How many books did descartes write?
René Descartes can be credited for writing, at an estimated minimum, five books
over the course of his lifetime. He had 0 wives (as he never married) and 1 daughter, Francine.
over the course of his lifetime. He had 0 wives (as he never married) and 1 daughter, Francine.
Bibliography
Descartes, René. Discourse On Method. Image, 1637. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://archive.org/details/discourseonmetho1912desc.
Descartes, René. Principia Philosophiae. Image, 1644. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://library.sydney.edu.au/collections/rare-books/online-exhibitions/modernity/descartes5.html.
Hals, Frans. René Descartes. Image, 1649. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_descartes.html.
Kimball, Roger. "What's Left Of Descartes?". Newcriterion.Com. Last modified 1995. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/What-s-left-of-Descartes--4256.
"René Descartes Facts". Biography.Yourdictionary.Com. Last modified 2010. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://biography.yourdictionary.com/rene-descartes.
"Rene Descartes - New World Encyclopedia". New World Encyclopedia. Last modified 2013. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rene_Descartes.
"Rene Descartes Quotes". Brainyquote. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rene_descartes.html.
Scribner, Charles. "Rene Descartes Facts, Information, Pictures | Encyclopedia.Com Articles About Rene Descartes". Encyclopedia.Com. Last modified 2008. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/philosophy-biographies/rene-descartes.
Smith, Kurt. "Descartes' Life And Works". Plato.Stanford.Edu. Last modified 2001. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/.
Watson, Richard. "Rene Descartes | French Mathematician And Philosopher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified 1998. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Descartes#ref478293.
Descartes, René. Principia Philosophiae. Image, 1644. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://library.sydney.edu.au/collections/rare-books/online-exhibitions/modernity/descartes5.html.
Hals, Frans. René Descartes. Image, 1649. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_descartes.html.
Kimball, Roger. "What's Left Of Descartes?". Newcriterion.Com. Last modified 1995. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/What-s-left-of-Descartes--4256.
"René Descartes Facts". Biography.Yourdictionary.Com. Last modified 2010. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://biography.yourdictionary.com/rene-descartes.
"Rene Descartes - New World Encyclopedia". New World Encyclopedia. Last modified 2013. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rene_Descartes.
"Rene Descartes Quotes". Brainyquote. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rene_descartes.html.
Scribner, Charles. "Rene Descartes Facts, Information, Pictures | Encyclopedia.Com Articles About Rene Descartes". Encyclopedia.Com. Last modified 2008. Accessed April 13, 2017. http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/philosophy-biographies/rene-descartes.
Smith, Kurt. "Descartes' Life And Works". Plato.Stanford.Edu. Last modified 2001. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/.
Watson, Richard. "Rene Descartes | French Mathematician And Philosopher". Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified 1998. Accessed April 13, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Descartes#ref478293.