René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher and mathematician.
Creator of Cartesian thought, philosophical system that gave rise to Modern Philosophy. He is the author of the work "The Discourse on Method”, a philosophical and mathematical treatise published in France in 1637.
One of the most famous phrases in his Speech is “I think therefore I am”.
Descartes Biography
René Descartes was born in Haye, formerly the province of Touraine (now Descartes), France, on March 31, 1596.
Between 1607 and 1615, he studied at the Jesuit College Royal Henry – Le Grand, established in the castle of La Fleche, donated to the Jesuits by King Henry IV.
He studied law at the University of Poitiers, completing the course in 1616, but he never practiced law.
Disappointed with the teaching, he stated that the scholastic philosophy it does not lead to any indisputable truth. Only mathematics demonstrates what it claims.
In 1618, he began his studies in mathematics with the Dutch scientist Isaac Beeckman.
At the age of 22, he began to formulate his analytic geometry and his method of reasoning correctly.
He broke with Aristotle's philosophy, adopted in the academies and, in 1619, proposed a unitary and universal science, laying the foundations of the modern scientific method.
Descartes enlisted in Prince Maurice of Nassau's army. Between 1629 and 1649 he lived in Holland, serving in the army on various trips.
He carried out several works in the area of philosophy, science and mathematics. He related algebra to geometry, a fact that gave rise to analytic geometry and the coordinate system, known today as Cartesian Plan.
In "The World Treaty”, a work of physics, Descartes approaches the thesis of heliocentrism. However, in 1633 he abandoned the plan to publish it, due to the condemnation of Galileo by the Inquisition.
In 1649, he went to Stockholm, Sweden, as a teacher at the invitation of Queen Cristina. On February 11, 1650, René Descartes died from pneumonia.
Descartes and Philosophy
Descartes proposed a philosophy that he never believed in the false, that was fully grounded in truth. His concern was with clarity.
It suggested a new view of nature, which nullified the moral and religious significance of the time. He believed that science should be practical and not speculative.
Top Discard Ideas
O Discourse on the Method, a 1637 work by Descartes, is a philosophical and mathematical treatise that laid the foundations for rationalism as the only source of knowledge.
He believed in the existence of an absolute, indisputable truth. To achieve it he developed the method of doubt, which consisted in questioning all preexisting ideas and theories.
It exposes 4 rules to reach knowledge:
- Nothing is true until recognized as such;
- Problems need to be analyzed and resolved systematically;
- Considerations must range from the simplest to the most complex;
- The process should be reviewed from beginning to end so that nothing important is left out.
For this, Descartes created the method of doubt. By doubting as much as possible, he would attain true knowledge, something sure that cannot be doubted (undoubted).
Initially, the philosopher doubts the senses, as the senses can be sources of deception.
Next, he draws attention to the impossibility of recognizing a dream. In this way, everything we call reality can only be part of a dream.
But, he realizes that even in dreams the mathematical rules are not changed. Descartes claims that mathematics is a little purer knowledge. However, we may be under the influence of an evil genius, a deceiving god, who makes us believe certain things (for example, 2 + 2 = 4 or that a triangle has three sides).
Descartes became convinced that the only possible truth was his ability to doubt, a reflection of his ability to think.
Thus, absolute truth would be synthesized in the formula “I think”, from which it concluded its own existence. His theory came to be summarized in the phrase "I think therefore I am” (in Latin, cogito, ergo sum).
Discard phrases
In addition to his most famous phrase "I think therefore I am", below are some sentences of the philosopher, which translate part of his thought.
Living without philosophizing is what is called having your eyes closed without ever having tried to open them.”
If you really want to seek the truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as much as you can, of all things."
There are no easy methods to solve difficult problems.”
There is nothing in the world that is better distributed than reason: everyone is convinced that there is plenty of it.”
To examine the truth, it is necessary, once in a lifetime, to put all things in doubt as much as possible..”
It's not enough to have a good mind: the main thing is to use it well.”
See too:
- History of Mathematics
- Edmund Husserl's Phenomenology
