Rene Descartes 2 Essay Research Paper Ren

Rene Descartes 2 Essay, Research Paper

Ren Descartes (1596-1650)

LIFE. Descartes was educated at a Jesuit college which was firmly grounded in the

scholastic tradition. After furthering his education in Paris, he enlisted in the Dutch and,

later, the Bavarian militaries. In 1629 Descartes moved to Holland where he lived in

seclusion for 20 years, changing his residence frequently to preserve his privacy. During

this period he produced the writings upon which his fame rests. His studies were first

restricted to science, and only later did he explore metaphysics. In 1649, Descartes moved

to Stockholm at the request of Queen Christina of Sweden who employed him as a

philosophy tutor. Christina scheduled the lectures at 5 A.M. The early hours and harsh

climate took their toll on Descartes’s already weakened condition. He died shortly after in

1650. During his life, Descartes’s fame rose to such an extent that many Catholics believed

he would be a candidate for sainthood. As his body was transported from Sweden back to

France, anxious relic collectors along the path removed pieces of his body. By the time his

body reached France, it was considerably reduced in size.

Descartes’ philosophy developed in the context of the key features of Renaissance

and early modern philosophy. Like the humanists, he rejected religious authority in the

quest for scientific and philosophical knowledge. For Descartes, reason was both the

foundation and guide for pursuing truth. Although Descartes was a devout Catholic, he was

also influenced by the Reformation’s challenge to Church authority, particularly the

challenge against medieval Aristotelianism. He was an active participant in the scientific

revolution in both scientific method and in particular discoveries. Finally, and perhaps most

importantly, Descartes reacted strongly against the Renaissance resurgence of ancient

Greek skepticism. Thus, we find in Descartes’ writings a relentless pursuit of absolute

certainty.

DISCOURSE ON THE METHOD. Descartes’ first discussion of scientific method is

in an unfinished work of 1628 titled Rules for the Direction of the Mind. The first 12 of the

planned 36 rules deal with the general aspects of his proposed methodology, and are

considered early versions of principles which made their way into his later writings. In 1633

Descartes prepared for publication a work on physics called Le Monde which defended a

heliocentric view of the universe. That same year the Catholic Church condemned Galileo’s

Dialogue (1632). Descartes did not think Galileo’s views were prejudicial to religion and he

worried that his own views might be censured. Thus he suspended publication of it. In 1637

Descartes published a collection of essays titled Optics, Meterology, and Geometry.

Prefaced to these essays was a work titled “Discourse on the Method of Rightly

Conducting the Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences.” Most of the “Discourse” was

written before the 1633 condemnation of Galileo’s Dialogue. However, he later added a

concluding section which explained that he insisted on publishing, in spite of political risks.

The simple reason was that he counted on the public to help confirm his scientific theories.

In the Discourse, Descartes offers a method of inquiry quite different from Bacon’s.

Whereas Bacon advocated induction, Descartes insists on a more deductive approach.

Most of the Discourse is autobiographical insofar as it traces Descartes intellectual

development and how his method assisted him in his investigations. Descartes realized that

he needed to reject much of the teachings of his youth. This raised the question as to

exactly how he should proceed in replacing old theories with new ones. He found his answer

by observing how old parts of cities are replaced with the new. The more elegant cities are

those which are methodically built from scratch, not those which continually renovate old

sections.

Descartes explains that he had learned a variety of methodological approaches in a

variety of disciplines. They all had limits, though. Syllogistic logic, he believes, only

communicates what we already know. Geometry and algebra are either too abstract in

nature for practical application, or too restricted to the shapes of bodies. However, he

believed that a more condensed and universal list of methodological rules was better than a

lengthy and varied list.

The first of these was to accept nothing as true which I did not clearly

recognize to be so; that is to say, carefully to avoid precipitation and prejudice

in judgments, and to accept in them nothing more than what was presented to

my mind so clearly and distinctly that I could have no occasion to doubt it.

The second was to divide up each of the difficulties which I examined into

as many parts as possible, and as seemed requisite in order that it might be

resolved in the best manner possible.

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