Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist born in 1596 in France. He made major contributions in areas such as anatomy, cognitive science, optics, mathematics, and philosophy. He is considered a 'jack of all trades' and the father of modern rationalism. Descartes was educated by Jesuits and spent his early life traveling through Europe in the military before settling in Holland, where he did much of his writing. His work used systematic doubt and rational thinking to establish certainty and laid the foundations for modern philosophy and science.

1. Essay about Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 in La Haye Touraine, France. Descartes was considered a "jack of all trades", making major
contributions to the areas of anatomy, cognitive science, optics, mathematics and philosophy. He has been referred to as the father of modern
rationalism, soldier of fortune, scholar, pilgrim, traveler, and a firm adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. He was educated at the Jesuit college of
La Fleche in Anjou. He entered the college at the age of eight years, just a few months after the opening of the college in January, 1604. At La Fleche,
Descartes formed the habit of spending the morning in bed. His health was poor and he was allowed to remain in bed until 11 o'clock in the morning.
This habit and custom...show more content...
It was at this point that he began to seek a unified science of nature. After two years in Holland he joined the Bavarian army. It was during this time
with the army that Descartes wandered through Europe seeing parts of Hungary, Germany, Italy, and France. During his travels to Paris he made
contact with Mersenne. This was an important contact because it kept him in touch with the scientific world for many years. In late 1628 he gave
a speech in Paris in which he argued that the sciences must be founded on certainty. He was encouraged by Cardinal Pierre de Berulle to develop
his own philosophical system. By 1628 Descartes tired of all the traveling and decided to settle down. He gave much thought to choosing a country
that suited his nature and decided on Holland. He felt Holland would offer him seclusion and more intellectual freedom. Soon after he settled in
Holland Descartes began work on his first major treatise on physics, Le Monde, ou Traite de la Lumiere. This work was near completion when he
received the news that Galileo was condemned to house arrest. He decided not to risk publication. His work, the world's first extended essay on
physiological psychology, was published after his death. While in Holland Descartes had a number of scientific friends, they encouraged him to
publish his ideas. Although he was adamant about not publishing Le Monde, he did write and publish in 1637 a treatise on science under the
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2. Essay about Biography f Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was a brilliant man who was born on March 31st, 1596. He was born in a small town in the South of France, named La Haye. Rene
Descartes lived from 1596–1650. He was the son of an intellectual councilor in Parliament, named Joachim Descartes. His mother, Jeanne Brochard,
died when he was only 1 years old. Rene Descartes was 8 years old when he attended the Jesuit College of Henry VI in La Fleche. Rene studied
science, grammar, mathematics and literature which led him to become a famous Mathematician. He later left La Fleche in 1614 to study civil and
cannon law at Poitiers. In 1616, Rene Descartes received his Bachelor's Degree and licensed degree in Law. In 1618, Descartes spent some time in the
military where he was...show more content...
The second meditation brings the primary truth in the "cogito, ergo sum" or "I think,therefore I am". Descartes saw that the result is known only from
the fact that it is "clearly and distinctly" perceived by the mind. Descartes then unfolds the results of clear and distinct perception in meditations three to
six, and he repeats and extends these results in principles one and two. Descartes famously calls the senses into doubt in the first meditation. He affirms
in meditation six that the senses are not meant to provide knowledge of the "essential nature" of external objects. In his position, the meditations differ
from that in the rules, in that he allowed that some "simple natures" with important things can and should be considered through the images of the
senses in the meditations. He held that the purpose of matter could be used and assigned for ideas, independently of any sensory image to that extent.
His opinion allowed him to agree with the "platonic tradition" in philosophy, which uses sensory knowledge and held things that the known by the
intellect have a higher reality than the object of the senses. Descartes' attitude toward the senses in his mature period was not one of total loss.
Descartes assigned two roles to the senses in the understanding of human knowledge. First he attempted to prove that the senses are usually adequate
for detecting benefits and
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3. Certainty Of Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes Rene Descartes was a philosopher of the 17th century. He had this keen interest in the search for certainty. For he was unimpressed
with the way philosophy is during their time. He mused that nothing certain was coming forth from all the philosophical ideologies. He had considered
that the case which philosophy was in was due to the fact that it was not grounded to something certain. He was primarily concerned with intellectual
certainty, meaning that something that is certain through the intellect. Thus he was named a rationalist due to this the line of thought that he pursued.
But in his work in the meditation, his method of finding this certainty was skeptical in nature; this is 'the methodic doubt'. Rene Descartes had
attempted to find that something which is certain to. Only to find that our senses are unreliable and our senses can be deceived. He did find that
something from which he is fairly certain about, which is the 'Cogito'. "Cogito ergo sum" which is often translated as, "I think, therefore I am." This
can be better translated as, "I am thinking, therefore I exists." This world–renowned saying has been called as the 'First...show more content...
He had assumed this for in his search of finding that something which is certain, he had a "eureka" moment of realization that the one thinking for the
certain is that something which is the certain. Cogito is the mind. So if we use our definition of certainty, "that something which is a hundred percent not
doubtful, and is upheld and assured with information that is acquired from this world," the 'cogito' is still fit to have that definition. We could say that it
is a hundred percent not doubtful, for if we doubt the self, it just strengthens the claim, that the self, is the one doubting. I believe Rene had use the
term, 'indubitable.' The 'cogito' is the indubitable
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4. Rene Descartes Essay
Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to
make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and
body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit
College of La FlГЁche between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimed that his education gave him little of substance and that only mathematics had
given him certain knowledge. In this lament he joins a chorus of seventeenth century philosophers including Bacon, Hobbes and Locke. In 1618 he
went to Holland to serve...show more content...
So, the search was on for the method used by the ancient mathematicians to make their discoveries (the method of analysis). Descartes is clearly
convinced that the discovery of the proper method is the key to scientific advance. For a more extended and detailed discussion of these methods,
see John Cottingham , The Rationalists, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1982. Chapter 2. In November 1628 Descartes was in Paris, where he
made himself famous in a confrontation with Chandoux. Chandoux claimed that science could only be based on probablitiies. This view reflected the
dominance in French intellectual circles of Renaissance skepticism. This skptical view was rooted in the religious crisis in Europe resulting from the
Protestant Reformation and had been deepened by the publication of the works of Sextus Empiricus and reflections on disagreements between
classical authors. It was strengthend again by considerations about the differences in culture between New World cultures and that of Europe, and by
the debates over the new Copernican system. All of this had been eloquently formulated by Montaigne in his Apology for Raymond Sebond and
developed by his followers. Descartes attacked this view, claiming only that certainty could serve as a basis for knowledge, and that he himself had a
method for attaining such certainty. In the same year Descartes moved to Holland where he remained with only brief interruptions until 1649. In
Holland Descartes produced
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5. Rene Descartes Analysis
RenГ© Descartes – Meditations on First Philosophy: The Certainty of Faith An atheist is unable to have the same certainty as Descartes regarding the
existence of material things because for all of his knowledge Descartes relies on the pure light of reason, or "natural light", supported by God, that an
atheist can thus not rely on (152). All certainty comes through this natural light, and its veracity is dependent on a real benevolent God. Descartes
proves this God mainly through the use of the ontological argument, but also offers checks against counterclaims that an atheist may have. Descartes
ultimately knows that material things exist because he can sense them (144). He proves that corporeal reality's existence is distinct both from his...show
more content...
Descartes relies on the natural light of reason for all his knowledge which cannot fail him since God is the support of said reason through His
benevolence. God's existence is proven since His idea and actuality are necessarily indistinguishable from each other on account of His unity, and His
everlasting sustaining power of reality is evident due to his omnipotence. Having overcome the obstacle of doubt with God, Descartes can have safe and
secure certainty about the existence of material things that an atheist
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6. Essay on RenГ© Descartes
RenГ© Descartes
RenГ© Descartes was a French philosopher and also mathematician. His method of doubt led him to the famous "cogito ergo sum" when translated
means "I am thinking, therefore I exist". This cogito was the foundation for Descartes' quest for certain knowledge. He explored doubt and how we
can prove our own existence, by taking the first steps of scepticism. His book "Meditations On First Philosophy", was written in six parts. Each
representing the six days that God took to create the world. Not to upset the Church, Descartes would need to prove the existence of God, and the soul.
Within Descartes' argument, we find some important areas. Two, which require focus, are his...show more content...
He came to the conclusion, that to doubt is to think; and to think is to exist. An example in Russell's "Western philosophical thought" is that "anything,
which doubts, understands, affirms, conceives, wills, denies, imagines and feels is something, which is thinking. And feeling, when it occurs in
dreams, is thought". So therefore anything which thinks, also too exists.
In Descartes' wax example, he takes a piece of wax from the honeycomb in it's solid form. He observes that there are certain things, which are
apparent towards the senses. The taste of the honey, its temperature (cold), the size, the colour, and when you tap it, it makes a sound. Yet, if we
place the wax near heat, or a fire, the features and qualities change. No longer is the shape the same. It has become hot, and when you tap it there is
no sound. This is the wax in its liquid form. So is the wax we see now, the same wax we saw before these changes?
Before these changes were apparent, Descartes pointed out the difficulties of relying on the senses, of the physical body. In section 31 of Meditation
two, he says that the perception he has, "is a case not of vision or touch or imagination – nor has it ever been, despite previous appearances – but of
purely mental scrutiny". Descartes shows that our senses cannot be used to have knowledge of things in the external world, and that knowledge of
these things must come through the mind alone.
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7. Rene Descartes Reflection
RenГ© Descartes, in his work of Meditation on First Philosophy, sets the establishment for present day reasoning. Through the particular style of
writing in first individual story, Descartes presents radical disbelief, demonstrates the presence of God, recognizes the spirit from the body, and builds
up levels of assurance in knowing the material world. With the Meditations expecting to be a manual for practicing scholarly understanding and
practice, there is a solid association between the abstract shape and philosophical substance, as one supplements the other. The utilization of
contemplation and story is particularly vital in conveying and accentuating Descartes' contentions on first rationality since it offers an epistemological
voyage...show more content...
For example, the perusers can without much of a stretch relate to occasions, for example, imagining and inquiries, for example, the presence of God.
With this, Descartes can go up against the test of exhibiting how the procedure of self–change in considering and understanding unfurls through his
own encounters. He expresses, "I will above all else describe in the Meditations the very considerations by methods for which I appear to have landed at
a certain and apparent information of reality" with the aim that "similar contentions that induced me can be helpful in convincing others" (52). In this
way, the perusers, when perusing the Meditations, will have the capacity to encounter a comparative mental and epistemological trip in seeing first
theory. The Meditation starts with the presentation of the strategy for question in Meditation One. Acknowledging a large number of his previous
suppositions are deceptions, and how consequent sentiments are based upon them, Descartes takes note of the need to question reality of everything,
and "flatten everything to the ground and started again from the first establishments, on the off chance that I needed to set up anything firm and
enduring in the sciences" (59). This design analogy of annihilating and setting up fills to present Descartes' need in building a firm foundation for
judicious
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8. Rene Descartes Essay
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was a math philosopher, he was born in Toures, on March 31
1596, and he died at Stockholm on February 11 1650. His father was forced to spend half the year at Rennes, where he was a councilman. The rest
of the time he spent with his family of Les Cartes at La Haye. Rene was the second child out of four kids. At the age of eight, he was sent to the
Jesuit School at La Fleche. The school had very good education and discipline. On account of his delicate health, he was permitted to lie in bed until
late in the mornings. In 1647, he visited Pascal, he told himself that the only way to do good work in math, and to keep his health was to never allow
anyone to make him get up in the morning before he felt...show more content...
The values of "x" and "y" determined the co–coordinates of a number of points which forms a curve, of which the equation "f(x,y)=0" has a
geometrical property.
Rene said that a point in a space could be determined by three co–coordinates. Rene pointed out the very important facts that two or more curves can be
referred to one and the same system of co–coordinates, and that the points in which two curves intersect can be determined by finding the roots
common to their equations. Rene wrote three Geometric books. The first two are about analytical geometry, and the third is an analysis of algebra that
was current then. Rene also paid particular attention to the theory of tangents to curves. Back then the current definition of a tangent at a point was a
straight line through the point such that between it and the curve no other straight line could be drawn, that is the straight line of closet contact.
Rene described his theory by giving the general rule for drawing tangents and normals to a roulette. The method that Rene used to find the tangent or
normal at any point of a given curve was he determined the center and radius of a circle, which should cut the curve in two consecutive points. The
tangent to the circle at that point will be the required tangent to the curve.
In modern text books it is
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