Preview

Rene Descartes: Father Of Modern Philosophy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
828 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Rene Descartes: Father Of Modern Philosophy
Throughout history, there have been many individuals deserving of praise and admiration. These individuals were all admirable in their own regard. One of the most significant of these individuals was Rene Descartes. Rene Descartes was an admirable individual due to his contributions to philosophy, his remarkable findings in mathematics, and his explanations of the physical world that are still relevant today. Descartes came up with the philosophical arguments of Cartesian doubt, the Mind-Body problem, and Cartesian certainty. In regards to Mathematics, Descartes discovered numerous principles and theorems that paved the way for future discoveries in mathematics. His most notable findings included Cartesian Coordinates, Cartesian Geometry, and "Discourse on Method". In addition to this, Descartes had numerous explanations of the physical world. His most prominent explanations are the first modern formulation of laws of nature, theory of planetary motion, and the study of reflection and refraction of light.
Above all things, Rene Descartes was a philosopher. Often referred to as the "Father of Modern Philosophy", Descartes contributions to philosophy are some of the
…show more content…
Descartes was responsible for the mathematical principle of Cartesian Coordinates. In this principle, Descartes explained that within a standard x and y plane, there are infinitely many coordinates in regards to the x and y axis. This principle led Descartes to his next principle, Cartesian Geometry. Cartesian Geometry showed the merging of algebra and geometry. Within this merge, geometric shapes could be explained by using algebraic expressions. Finally, Descartes came up with the theorem of "Discourse on Method". This theorem tied all of his previous mathematical findings in one. The "Discourse on Method" theorem combined mathematics and philosophy into a series of arguments and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Rene Descartes lived from 1596 to 1650. He was born in France, and went to a Jesuit primary school. He earned a law degree, but later on he began focusing on math and logic in the world. During the early 17th century, his ideas deviated more and more from previous philosophers. Because of this, he became known as “The Father of Modern Philosophy.” While some of his ideas weren’t completely original, his way of getting to them was. He believed in totally ignoring everything previous philosophers had done, and starting new, as if their work had never happened. He did not even trust his own emotions. He also believed that consciousness was the only truth in the world, leading to his most famous statement, “I think; therefore I am.” He also published several books, and despite his late entrance in the subject, and early death, he is still one of the most…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Unit 4 Assignment

    • 287 Words
    • 1 Page

    Rene Descartes was a French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He’s known as the founder of modern philosophy. He applied the idea of the clockwork mechanism to the human body. During the 17th century Descartes came up with the idea of dualism. This idea was described as, the mind and body being two separate realms that interact to form the human experience. He employed a method called methodological skepticism, meaning, he rejected any ideas that could be doubted. He came to the conclusion that he can be certain that he exists because he thinks. Descartes is, also, known for the Wax Argument. He claimed if he looked at a piece of wax he could describe it using his senses- shape, texture, color, smell. If he moved the wax towards a flame the wax would change characteristics (A History of Modern Psychology, 2014).…

    • 287 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rene Descartes, a French philosopher attempted to craft groundwork to establish further scientific developments. He rationed that once one knows the foundations of a belief and one builds upon that, much of what one believes can be doubted. He held that through using math’s methods, he could apply these same methodologies to other ideas. Descartes believed that nothing can be perceived more easily and evidently than his own mind. By applying his theory, that he knew nothing for certain but was aware of his own thought, he started to combat already instituted ideas and conjured up the existence of…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychology unit 3 chapter 1

    • 4397 Words
    • 18 Pages

    . René Descartes was well known for his views on consciousness and works in the field of science and mathematics for his work on geometry and algebra. Descartes was born in 1596 in the town of la Haye in the south of France.…

    • 4397 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Descartes’ method offers definitive conclusions on certain topics, (his existence, the existence of God)but his reasoning is not without error. He uses three arguments to prove existence (His and God’s) that attempt to solidify his conclusions. For his method to function seamlessly, Descartes needs to be consistent in his use of the method, that is, he must continue to doubt and challenge thoughts that originate in his own mind. He is unable to achieve this ideal state of mind, however, and his proofs are shown to be faulty.…

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rene Descartes’ take on epistemology concerns examining his core beliefs and applying the method of skepticism. He examines these beliefs by raising doubts on each of his core principles. He hopes to build a foundation which not even the strongest skeptic can raise a doubt on. Rene also proclaims that should he find anything from his core beliefs to doubt—even the slightest of doubts— he must reject the foundational belief simply because it is open to skeptical attacks. He also establishes that he must not go beyond what is simply and rightly true, such that they are what one cannot doubt without being irrational, or being mentally unstable. That would be downright absurd. However, Rene does not establish why, when he finds doubts on his core beliefs, he does not make the slightest attempt to defend his beliefs and respond to the doubts instead of simply rejecting those core beliefs because they are subject to skepticism. Does not he merely display ignorance then simply because he does not attempt to make conclusive responses to his doubts? Because if he were to doubt all of his core beliefs, then wouldn’t he posit himself in a more dangerous or critical position knowing that he no longer has anything to stand on? I take a stand against his method on skepticism,…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Descartes, R, Murdoch, D. & Cottingham, J.The philosophical writings of Descartes, Volume 2. Reprint. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Descartes Dream Argument

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    French philosophy René Descartes is considered by many to be the father of modern philosophy. Contributing especially to the branch of epistemology, Descartes’ notorious book Meditations on First Philosophy, was of monumental importance to the debate surrounding the foundations and accuracy of knowledge and ontology. In the first chapter, or first Meditation, Descartes calls into doubt all of his previous beliefs and all he used to consider legitimate knowledge. He does so, however, with the intent of establishing actual, certain knowledge. His interest is not in finding something that is true beyond any reasonable doubt, but beyond any conceivable doubt.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pythagoras Research Paper

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Pythagoras, is known to be one of the first to teach that the Earth was at the center of the universe. He was also one of the first to teach that the world was round, an idea not to be proven for almost another one thousand years. Pythagoras has also influenced a number of philosophical writers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Porphyry. In conclusion, Pythagoras made many contributions to modern society. Thus, making him recognizable as a formidable philosopher and mathematician even today. Pythagoras will always be a significant person in history, because of the discoveries made by him, his students in ancient Greece, and the growing amount of people studying his teachings today and who will continue to learn and follow his…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Cartesian coordinate system is named after René Descartes(1596-1650), the noted French mathematician and philosopher, who was among the first to describe its properties. However, historical evidence shows that Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665), also a French mathematician and scholar, did more to develop the Cartesian system than did Descartes.…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Descartes

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages

    If God is perfectly good and the source of all that is, how is there room for error or falsehood? Descartes attempts to answer this question in Meditation IV: On Truth and Falsity.…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Leonardo Da Vinci might have been the most innovative mind of the Renescience era,or at least until 300 years after his death. He created things that may have never been been thought of if it wasn't for him. His paintings are so controversial that people still argue about them today. Although,most people know Leonardo Da Vinci for just his paintings from the Renescience era, they cannot truly appreciate the depth of his career if they don't know about his controversial paintings, his science, his life, his apprenticeship, his unknown inventions and his ideas.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I am Sir Isaac Newton. I am a mathematician and physicist, and one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time. I was born at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, in 1642. I entered Cambridge University in 1661; then was elected at Fellow of Trinity College in 1667, then Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. I remained at the university, lecturing in most years, until 1696. Of these Cambridge years, in which I was at the height of my creative power, I singled out 1665-1666 as the prime of my age for invention. I learned geometry at school, even though I always spoke of myself as self-taught. I advanced through studying the writings of William Oughtred and John Wallis, and of Descartes. Newton made contributions to all branches of mathematics studied, but I’m especially famous for my solutions to the contemporary problems in analytical geometry of drawing tangents to curves (differentiation) and defining areas bounded by…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Descartes Optics

    • 1132 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Descartes's theories of light and vision were central components of his natural philosophy, closely linked to his cosmology, physics, theory of matter, and theory of perception. Descartes replaced traditional explanations of natural phenomena with explanations hidden under terms of matter and motion. By eliminating these theories, Descartes needed to formulate new explanations of the qualities of bodies and our perception of them. In other words Descartes goes on to call into question one’s ability to fully understand the things, which our eyes see. His work on optics focused on these questions.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rene Descartes

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages

    René Descartes (31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day. In particular, his Meditations on First Philosophy continues to be a standard text at most university philosophy departments. Descartes' influence in mathematics is equally apparent; the Cartesian coordinate system — allowing reference to a point in space as a set of numbers, and allowing algebraic equations to be expressed as geometric shapes in a two-dimensional coordinate system (and conversely, shapes to be described as equations) — was named after him. He is credited as the father of analytical geometry, the bridge between algebra and geometry, crucial to the discovery of infinitesimal calculus and analysis. Descartes was also one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution and has been described as an example of genius.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays