René Descartes: "Father of Modern Mathematics" 1596-1650 December 13‚ 2004 René Descartes was born in La Haye‚ Touraine (France) in March of 1596 and died at Stockholm on February 11‚ 1650. René‚ the second of a family of two sons and one daughter‚ was sent to the Jesuit School at La Flêche at the early age of eight. Since he was of poor health he was permitted to lie in bed till late in the mornings‚ a custom which
Premium René Descartes Analytic geometry Cartesian coordinate system
Examine Descartes¡¦ account of the relationship between the mind and body. Do you find his arguments convincing? Descartes (1596-1650) is generally considered to be one of the most influential philosophers of the modern Western world. He has been called ¡¥the founder of modern philosophy¡¦ as he was the first man of any influence in philosophy to be interested and affected by physics and astronomy‚ as well as refusing to accept views of his predecessors‚ preferring to work out everything for
Premium Mind René Descartes Perception
will argue that the clearest difference between Descartes and Nietzsche here is that whereas Descartes thought that ideas are passive‚ Nietzsche thought the opposite. Well‚ Descartes tries to prove the existence of God‚ which is the condition of establishing/ensuring an external world‚ including inter-subjectivity‚ in his view. God is a precondition of the innate ideas and connection with the surrounding world. There’s no doubt in the mind of Descartes that God exist. Hence‚ he is claiming that faith/religion
Free Mind Thought Epistemology
Descartes’ vs. Hospers Knowledge is an acquaintance with facts‚ truths‚ or principles‚ as from study of investigation and a familiarity or conversance‚ as with a particular subject or branch of learning. (3) Many philosophers have different perspectives of knowledge. Descartes’ believes that the only thing absolutely known is that you exist because you think. However‚ Hospers believes that there are different forms of knowing that must be proven with evidence. Descartes’ believes that you
Premium Epistemology Plato Truth
I applaud Descartes in actually establishing something (that is not nothing) in his second Meditation and think he is getting somewhere‚ however‚ I also feel that there remains a large hole in his logic and that he is perhaps not being quite as methodical and careful in the conclusions he draws from the cogito. The starting point is‚ of course‚ the projection of thought – the actual act of thinking and the way in which it defines and characterizes the human mind. To be as meticulous and scrupulous
Premium Epistemology Metaphysics Mind
Erik Irre Modern Philosophy December 16‚ 1999 Paper 1‚ Section 2 If these great thinkers (Descartes‚ Spinoza‚ and Leibniz) were to discuss instead the soul’s connection to the body‚ what might each say (both on his own behalf and in response to the other)? Would they find any places where they might agree? If not‚ why not? (These are‚ after all‚ smart guys!) Though this sort of meeting would strike me as a debate with as furiously disparate and uncompromising ideals as one would find
Premium Metaphysics Ontology Philosophy
The Conception of Substance Dualism Rene Descartes‚ a 17th century French philosopher‚ created the idea of Substance dualism. Descartes states that the mind and the body are two separate entities that possess different characteristics. The mind‚ a theoretical substance‚ cannot be viewed in space as a material substance using tradition measuments such as height or weight. Because of this‚ only the physical body can be extended‚ not the mind‚ separating the two into the theory of substance dualism
Premium Mind Philosophy of mind René Descartes
Alec Shover Dr. Darrell Cosden Introduction to Philosophy PHL260 Section 2 Descartes Skepticism and the Matrix March 21‚ 2012 1197 Words Reality is something that has been debated among philosophers for centuries. Rene Descartes is one of these philosophers who has come up with a unique way of understanding reality. Descartes in Meditations on First Philosophy argues his method of doubt about the idea of skepticism and this is reflected in the Matrix when Neo chooses the
Premium Epistemology Mind Metaphysics
philosopher named; René Descartes was born on March 31‚ 1596‚ in La Haye en Touraine‚ France. He was extensively educated‚ first at a Jesuit college at age 8‚ then earning a law degree at 22‚ but an influential teacher set him on a course to apply mathematics and logic to understanding the natural world. We will be exploring the several arguments Descartes discusses in his Meditations. This approach incorporated the contemplation of the nature of existence and of knowledge itself. Descartes in mediation
Premium Epistemology Philosophy René Descartes
Abstract and Referential Ontology: Descartes Versus Spinoza on the Existence of God. The concept of God is central to the development of Cartesian and Spinozan philosophy. Although both philosophers employ an ontological argument for the existence and necessity of God the specific nature of God differs greatly with each account. While Descartes suggests a Judeo-Christian concept of God‚ Spinoza argues a more monistic deity similar to that of the Hindu tradition. The most significant difference
Premium Existence Ontology God