Author Bio: Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was born in western France, but spent the last twenty years of his life in Holland. He studied law at a Jesuit school in Poitiers. After joining the German Wars, he had a vision for progress whilst being billeted in a German village. His vision was that of the success of all fields of knowledge using the mathematical method. His method of choice was deduction, in which smaller, more specific information could be drawn from a large generalization.
Speaker: See above.
Date/Context: This excerpt was written in 1637, during the period known as the Scientific Revolution. Basically, after Copernicus wrote his book explaining the heliocentric theory, interest in knowledge and science, which had been present prior to his work, exploded with discoveries. Many of the ideas and concepts are still relevant to. Sir Francis Bacon, in contrast to Descartes, brought forward a method of inductive reasoning while also establishing the Scientific Method still in use today. While there are numerous other examples of individual achievement, it is important to note that this movement was a catalyst in itself. As discoveries occurred, they spurred different branches of scientific inquiry and allowed the field of science and mathematics to grow immensely.
Summary: To begin this excerpt, Descartes states that a state is better government with a few strictly enforced laws than a multitude of relaxed laws. He then names the four precepts of logic that he followed in order to come up with his ideas. The first precept was that he did not accept anything as true if there was the slightest doubt that it might be false. This meant that he rejected most the assumptions that he previously held about the universe. Second, he states that it is pertinent to examine as many parts of a whole as possible in order to see the most detail. The third precept was that he would examine these parts in order of increasing complexity. For example, the most simple concept would be first and the most intricate would be last. Finally, he states that he will omit nothing from his quest for truths, for that would cause inaccuracies in his logic. Next, he states that he is devoted to the research of truth and has rejected everything that he has known to previously be true. Thus, he is only left with the simple truth, "I think, therefore I am." He then delves into the power behind this statement and how a perfect being, not himself, but God, allowed him think this. He finishes his excerpt with the forewarning that reason should prevail above all, for imagination can cause the acceptance of fake or unjust truths in the mind.
Important Quotes:
"I think, therefore I am"
Good. Putting this notable phrase in context - "I observed that while I thus desired everything to be false, I, who thought, must of necessity [exist]; and remarking that this truth, I think, therefore I am, was so firm and so assured that all the most extravagant suppositions of the skeptics were unable to shake it."
ReplyDeleteDescartes also emphasizes the importance of reason - "We ought never to allow ourselves to be persuaded of the truth of anything unless on the evidence of our Reason."