Who was Descartes and what did he do?
Who was Descartes and what did he do?
Descartes spent the period 1619 to 1628 traveling in northern and southern Europe, where, as he later explained, he studied “the book of the world.” While in Bohemia in 1619, he invented analytic geometry, a method of solving geometric problems algebraically and algebraic problems geometrically.
What did Descartes contribute?
Apart from his work in philosophy, Descartes was a leading mathematician and scientist. He invented the Cartesian coordinate system, developed analytic geometry and laid the foundation for the development of calculus. He also did groundbreaking work in physics most prominently in the field of optics.
What would Descartes not doubt?
Descartes can not doubt that he exist. He exist because he can think, which establish his existance-if there is a thought than there must be a thinker. He thinks therefore he exists. He can’t doubt it because being a thinking thing he has a mind/intellect and understanding, things he was ignorant about before.
Why does Descartes think he is not his body?
On the one hand, Descartes argues that the mind is indivisible because he cannot perceive himself as having any parts. On the other hand, the body is divisible because he cannot think of a body except as having parts. Hence, if mind and body had the same nature, it would be a nature both with and without parts.
What is self According to René Descartes?
With his ties to dualism, Descartes believed the mind is the seat of our consciousness. Because it houses our drives, intellect, and passions, it gives us our identity and our sense of self. He also believed that the idea of a mind controlling the body is as erroneous as the idea of ghosts controlling machines.
Why is Cogito ergo sum important?
Cogito, ergo sum, (Latin: “I think, therefore I am) dictum coined by the French philosopher René Descartes in his Discourse on Method (1637) as a first step in demonstrating the attainability of certain knowledge. It is the only statement to survive the test of his methodic doubt.
How does cogito ergo sum justify our beliefs?
Descartes argues that the clarity and distinctness rule, derived from the Cogito, can justify our beliefs about the external world. According to Descartes, his reasoning establishes that, what he originally doubted, he actually knows, with certainty. He thereby defeats the skeptical concerns that he considered earlier.