Life of Rene Descartes Essay Example
Life of Rene Descartes Essay Example

Life of Rene Descartes Essay Example

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  • Pages: 7 (1881 words)
  • Published: April 15, 2017
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Rene Descartes is a noteworthy figure in modern academia for his scholarly accomplishments, as exceptional individuals within the academic realm have a significant impact on their field.

Renowned for his academic and general accomplishments, Rene Descartes was born on March 31st, 1596 in France. His mother, Jeanne Brochard, passed away the year after his birth while his father, Joachim Descartes, a magistrate and lawyer (2), had a busy schedule that led to Rene and his siblings Pierre and Jeanne being raised by their grandmother.

Rene's exceptional academic achievements and status as a credited pioneer of contemporary philosophy, which stems from earlier philosophical traditions, make him one of the most notable scholars in history. Therefore, it is relevant to examine his educational background when reflecting on his remarkable scholarly endeavors. When he was eight years ol

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d, Rene enrolled at La Fleche, a Jesuit college located in Anjou where he studied between 1606 and 1614.

Rene Descartes started his education at a young age and learned logic, traditional Aristotelian philosophy, classics, and mathematics from Clavius' books. Although he faced a health issue during school that allowed him to stay in bed until 11.0 am while other students had to wake up earlier, this became his habit and persisted until his death in Sweden.

Descartes received a solid education in law, mathematics, and classics during his educational period. He then spent two years in Paris studying mathematics, where he was introduced to the fashionable French society (6). Later, he pursued law studies at the University of Poitiers in Paris in 1617 and furthered his education in Franeker and Leyden in the Netherlands for two more years. During this time, under Isaac Beckmann,

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a Dutch scientist, he began studying mathematics and mechanics which became his foundation to seek a unified science of natural principles. He traveled throughout Europe before returning to the Netherlands and realized that despite his education, he knew very little, but mathematics remained the only satisfactory subject according to him.

Despite receiving a foundation for his academic work through education, Rene Descartes held an opposing view towards his formal education. He claimed that aside from mathematics, which provided him with reliable knowledge, his education lacked value. From 1619 to 1623, Descartes served in the Dutch army under Prince Maurice and Bavaria. This led him to travel extensively across Bohemia, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands and France. In Paris in 1623 he met scholar Mersenne - this connection would prove critical for him within the scientific world.

Having journeyed to Venice, Italy, Descartes came back to France in 1625. Subsequently, by 1628, he grew weary of incessant voyages and chose to establish himself. Holland matched his disposition well and offered a conducive atmosphere for him. This signaled the commencement of his undertaking on his significant physics dissertation titled Le Monde Traite de la Lumiere (world). Nevertheless, upon learning about Galileo's confinement to house arrest, he never finished it.

The reason why he chose not to publish was to avoid any controversy and interference with the governing body's decisions. He wanted to express his unbiased judgment freely. As a result, he left the matter in their hands and trusted in God. While living in the Netherlands, Rene had several scientific acquaintances, and he stayed in contact with Mersenne in France. He made it a priority to maintain and expand his network of

influential friends.

Rene Descartes' friends, such as Frans van Schooten, Hortensius, Beeckman, Mydorge, and Huygens played a key role in unlocking his ideas. Despite being hesitant to publish his thoughts, his friends encouraged him to do so. While he refused to publish Le Monde initially, the pressure from his peers led him to write Discours de la methode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la verite dans les sciences (7), which included three appendices: Les Meteores, La Dioptrique and La Geometrie. These works were composed during his time in Holland.

Pressure from his friend convinced Rene Descartes to publish his treatise at Leiden in 1637. He then contacted Mersenne to explain that he had demonstrated the superiority of his method in his works on Dioptrique and Meteores, as well as in Geometrie. In his Discours de la methode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la verite dans les sciences, Descartes presented what he believed to be more reliable means of acquiring knowledge than Aristotle's logic. He advocated for rationalism and emphasized the importance of mathematics, which he considered the only certain basis for knowledge. This work marked the beginning of Descartes' scholarly publications and articles.

Rene Descartes, a highly influential figure in early human history, is often recognized as the founder of modern philosophy due to his departure from earlier Greek philosophies such as Plato and Aristotle. While he made his greatest contributions to philosophy, Descartes also contributed significantly to the field of optics and science with his creation of La Dioptrique, which was aided by his approach to experimentation. Additionally, his work on algebraic geometry in La geometrie gave rise to Cartesian geometry as

it is known today in academia.

Renowned philosopher Rene Descartes presented his central tenets in a more formal manner through his publication, Meditationes de Prima Philosophia (Meditations on First Philosophy) in 1641. He argued that skepticism is overcome by the certainty of one's own existence as a thinking being, which provides ground against skeptic arguments about existence and emphasizes that one thinks because they exist. Descartes' idea was helpful in the debates involving skeptics who stated that even those who doubt must first exist. Furthermore, he advocated for the use of the mind to acquire knowledge and emphasized his rationalist vision of human knowledge in Discours de la methode pour bien conduire sa Raison et chercher la Verite dans les Sciences (Discourse on Method), published in 1637. In Principia Philosophiae, his comprehensive work published in 1644, he attempted to put the entire universe on a mathematical foundation he believed was certain and divided it into four parts: The Principles of Material Things, Of the Visible World, The Earth, and Principles of Human Knowledge.

Descartes authored a number of philosophical works, including six meditations that explore topics such as the Nature of the Human Mind, doubt, God's existence, Truth and Error, Material Things' Essence, Real Distinction between Man's Body and Mind, and natural world Material Things. Nevertheless, Descartes' ideas have faced opposition from scholars like Gassendi, Hobbes and Arnauld due to philosophy's argumentative nature. Moreover, Descartes' essay on education critiques traditional education's shortcomings while proposing a framework for constructing an educational system based on universal human knowledge.

Descartes believed that the use of meteors, dipotric, and geometry could lead to positive outcomes. He focused on mathematics and invented

comprehensive strategies to apply mathematical methods for obtaining perfect certainty in human knowledge. He also developed the concept of applying algebra to geometry, which gave birth to Cartesian geometry today. Additionally, he published a book containing three essays on mathematics and science. While Descartes was a religious person, he primarily concentrated on theology. He developed concepts and ideas to demonstrate the existence of God and that the universe was created by Him. According to Descartes, everything depends on the power of God, who he believed is similar to the human mind in both characteristics and thoughts but differs from humans in being infinite and not needing a creator for His existence, unlike human beings who need a prime mover or mover of a mover.

Descartes delved into the study of human behavior and explained human emotion in his work, The Passions of the Soul or Les Passions de L'Ame, which emphasizes the dependability of human reasoning, even though errors may occur. He employs this idea to conclude that the body and soul exist as distinct entities, which is the premise of dualism. He further explains that although the mind and body interact in their operation, they are separate entities.

Rene Descartes, a notable scholar and philosopher, made significant contributions to the academic world. His work formed the basis for modern philosophies, including knowledge, logic, reason, and theological philosophies. In his major articles and publications such as the Discourse on Method, which includes the Meditations on First Philosophy (Robert, 2004, p. 86), Descartes introduced the method of systematic doubt, which had a profound impact on the development of philosophy. He also introduced the philosophical phrase

"Cogito ergo sum" or "I think, therefore I am," which is a tool for discovering truth. Descartes' other publications in the philosophical field include six meditations that explore the Nature of the Human Mind and Things that we may doubt of God that He exists (Robert, 2004, p. ).

Till is credited with originating modern philosophical thought, with focus on concepts such as truth and error, the nature of material objects, and the definitive differentiation between human mind and body. Meanwhile, Descartes was an esteemed mathematician who pioneered the advancement of Cartesian geometry by utilizing algebra in La geometrie. Additionally, he developed analytic geometry and strove to establish universal principles governing all physical transformations that remain relevant today. Descartes' mechanics are regarded as fundamental to contemporary understandings of natural laws regarding the cosmos.

According to Ricardo (2005, p. 00), the universe is filled with matter that has settled into vortices, which carry celestial bodies like stars, planets, comets, and the sun in their paths or orbits. This concept contributed to the development of the laws of gravity and meteorological studies. Buffon's work in geography, Les Meteores(9), focused on meteorological aspects that helped advance weather studies. He also conducted simple experiments in the physical sciences, including investigating the belief that boiled water freezes faster. These classical ideas contributed to scientific explanations of various phenomena.

Descartes proposed ideas to prove the existence of God, who he believed created the universe and holds power over all things (8). He also drew comparisons between God and the human mind, but acknowledged that unlike humans, God is infinite and self-sustaining (Ricardo, 2005, p.34). Descartes' main contribution to philosophy was defeating

skepticism by arguing that existence comes before doubt. His work on knowledge and linking the mind with the body has had a lasting impact for centuries, making him an esteemed figure in philosophy.

The considerable intellectual contributions of Rene Descartes are highly respected and admired in today's society. His extensive work has laid a foundation for scholars to explore complex issues. Renowned theologian Henry More from Cambridge held Rene's writings in high regard, recognizing him as an exceptional individual with extensive knowledge of nature. The life, work, and passing of this esteemed scholar hold great significance for modern society.

Due to his focus on educating the world rather than personal gain, this individual's contributions have been significant and continue to impact academic areas today including mathematics, metrology, physical sciences, theological content, and philosophy. He bridged the gap between early and modern philosophy and made valuable and outstanding contributions.

Renowned scholar Rene Descartes died on February 11th, 1650 while visiting Sweden at the persistent invitation of Queen Christina. Although he eventually accepted her offer to impart his teachings in Stockholm, the harsh Swedish climate proved fatal when he succumbed to pneumonia. Despite passing away over three centuries ago, Descartes' impressive body of work remains a valuable resource for academic and scholarly pursuits today.

The idea that "I think, therefore I am" is a philosophical concept that implies life is constantly renewed with each passing day.

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