The Comparison of Rene Descartes to Paul Churchland
Rene Descartes and Paul Churchland are both well respected philosophers with different out-looks on the mind and body relationship. Descartes achieved many great things in his time, but at the time that he wrote Meditations on First Philosophy he seemed to be borderline insane. His ideas are too drastic and gloomy, where as Churchland’s ideas in his writing Eliminitative Materialism seems to be agreeable and bright.
Rene Descartes was a famous French Philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Because of his work in his application of algebra to geometry we now have Cartesian geometry. His views about the relationship between the mind and body have been very influential over the last 3 centuries. He was born in La Haye (which is now known as Descartes) Tourine, France in 1596. His Family was far from wealthy but surprisingly all their children became well educated men. At eight years old Descartes was enrolled at a school of Jesuits, La Fleche in Anjou. He continued to study there for eight years. After graduating he studied at the University of Poitiers, majoring in law. He graduated their in 1616. He never practiced law but rather enrolled in the service of Prince Maurice of Nassau, who was the leader of United Provinces of the Netherlands. Descartes was fascinated with living a military life but his fascination of philosophy and mathematics soon overwhelmed his life. Descartes made a pilgrimage over to France and Italy in 1623 for many years and during that pilgrimage he studied philosophy and the science of optics. In 1628 He moved to the Netherlands where he wrote his most influential works. The first major work he wrote was Essais philosophoqies (Philosophical Essays) in 1637. It had four main parts: an essay on geometry, another on optics, a third of meteors, and Discours de la methode (Discourse on method). Other important writing of his were: Principia Philosophiae (The Principles on Methods), and the Passions of the Soul. Descartes made a huge effort
Rene Descartes was a famous French Philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Because of his work in his application of algebra to geometry we now have Cartesian geometry. His views about the relationship between the mind and body have been very influential over the last 3 centuries. He was born in La Haye (which is now known as Descartes) Tourine, France in 1596. His Family was far from wealthy but surprisingly all their children became well educated men. At eight years old Descartes was enrolled at a school of Jesuits, La Fleche in Anjou. He continued to study there for eight years. After graduating he studied at the University of Poitiers, majoring in law. He graduated their in 1616. He never practiced law but rather enrolled in the service of Prince Maurice of Nassau, who was the leader of United Provinces of the Netherlands. Descartes was fascinated with living a military life but his fascination of philosophy and mathematics soon overwhelmed his life. Descartes made a pilgrimage over to France and Italy in 1623 for many years and during that pilgrimage he studied philosophy and the science of optics. In 1628 He moved to the Netherlands where he wrote his most influential works. The first major work he wrote was Essais philosophoqies (Philosophical Essays) in 1637. It had four main parts: an essay on geometry, another on optics, a third of meteors, and Discours de la methode (Discourse on method). Other important writing of his were: Principia Philosophiae (The Principles on Methods), and the Passions of the Soul. Descartes made a huge effort
Cited: Churchland, Paul. Eliminative Materialism. Philosophical Horizons (pp 248-251) Canada: Thompson Wadsworth. Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy. Philosophical Horizons (pp 162-168). Canada: Thompson Wadsworth Hodges, Miles H. “Rene Descartes (1596 to 1650).” newgenevacenter.org, 2000. 17 April 2006. <http://www.newgenevacenter.org/biography/descartes2.htm> “Paul Churchland.” Answers.com, 17 April 2006. <http://www.answers.com/topic/paul-churchland