Rene Descartes Research Paper

Socrates is known as the father of Western Philosophy and Descartes is known as the father of Modern Philosophy. Both are key members in shaping the world today. Socrates taught us to question everything and about critical thinking. Descartes taught us that humans are thinkers and that true knowledge is acquired through reason. Their lessons have inspired many different people who have made a foot print in history. Even today, one can see their influence guiding our information. Socrates has taught the world a great deal of things. Even today, more than two thousand years later, people study his life and books for a glimpse of his wisdom. Among his many lessons, Socrates taught us about questioning everything. This was known as the Socratic
He wanted to restructure the branches of knowledge (literature, Oratory and Poetry, Mathematics, Theology, Philosophy, and Sciences) so that only knowledge that is absolutely certain can be used. In his search for true knowledge, Descartes used the method of doubt to separate the the knowledge that was without a doubt true from those who still needed certainty. Descartes rejected anything that could not be proven. He refused to accept knowledge through senses because they can deceive. for example, when some one is dreaming, their senses deceive them by making them think that the dream is real. Their senses made the person think that the dream was reality. He also refuses hasty judgment and prejudice because they are not facts. Furthermore, Descartes refuses perceptual knowledge because that too is unreliable. For example, as some one walks down a street and has a feeling that they are being followed, does not mean that the person is actually being followed. Although one might think that because Descartes believes only on what is proven, he would not believe in God, he is in fact a believer of God. He was able to prove that God exists through deductive proof. He stated that the idea of God itself is proof of God's existence. The idea of perfection had to have an origin, which is God the only perfect being; therefore God is real. The proving of God being real whether one believes him or not is not important, but the fact that he did as a human being is important. This meant that humans can prove anything if applying the correct methods. It identified humans as thinkers who used reason to determine the truth. Because of Descartes' philosophy, the branches of knowledge that we learn today are accurate. Humans determine what is true through reason and not through faith, senses, and perceptions. Mankind's knowledge goes only where truth is certain, eliminating doubt. All the branches