Descartes

=Aim= Elena Meeker Descartes devoted his life to the reformation of the concept of knowledge. Descartes did not promote the idea of skepticism, which was having an impact on the scientific discoveries that were occurring. Descartes, a scientist as well as a philosopher and writer, held the belief that knowledge was something to be expounded and was never finalized. His passion for science and math, advancing concepts such as Cartesian physics and Copernicanism (RENE DESCARTES). At the time, modern science was being stifled by religious affiliations, and Descartes publicly exclaimed his philosophy that he saw “ knowledge as advancing truth” (Descartes' Epistemology ). Descartes was angered by the idea that scientists were being legally pursued for publishing their theories, and that authorities were even more upset when the masses began questioning their religious beliefs. Skepticism, a popular movement in the 17th century, was something that Descartes felt very strongly about and was openly opposed to. One of his theories regarding the idea of information was that one should be open to new ideas and discoveries and believe what they want to believe with conviction. However, throughout his life, he stressed the importance of an open mind and curiosity. It was this philosophy that led Descartes to create multiple works that threaded his science and psycology lives together.

Works Cited "Descartes' Epistemology." //(Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)//. Stannford University, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . "RENE DESCARTES (1595-1650)." //RENE DESCARTES//. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . ^ I cannot indent the second lines.  =Audience= Elena Meeker Descartes’s main audience was the scientific and ‘educated’ community of the 17th century. His works, which addressed both philosophical and scientific communities created and furthered his life purpose of the extension of knowledge. The works he created, he sent to philosophers for their input and therefore furthered the extent of his knowledge. Soon, his “ work was circulated to other philosophers for their comments and criticisms” ( RENE DESCARTES). His travels through Europe helped him distribute and popularize his ideas to the educated and scientific world. However, he focused his efforts on people in the educated world rather than academic curriculums ( Descartes' Epistemology ). The advancements he made in physics and math stretched beyond his time and made impacts on education from the 17th century forward.

Works Cited "Descartes' Epistemology." //(Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)//. Stannford University, 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . "RENE DESCARTES (1595-1650)." //RENE DESCARTES//. Oregon State University, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . ^ I cannot indent the second lines. =Historical= Caelyn Buller



René Descartes had major historical impacts by connecting geometry and algebra, promoting the concept of matter, and for his Meditations On First Philosophy. This has led Descartes to be considered one of the first modern philosophers due to his revolutionary ideas and methods. Descartes impacted the math word in his contributions to geometry and algebra. Descartes wrote a book entitled //Geometry// and Carl Boyer notes, “Various concepts that lead to analytic geometry are found for the first time in the // Geometry //, and that the //Geometry's// mathematical notation is still used today” (Descartes 1). In the book //Geometry,// Descartes leaves the basic foundations of geometry and the connections that they have to algebra. The historical impact of his book on geometry is that it holds the foundations of geometry that are still used today. Descartes’ methods have led to the further development of math that continues to grow to this day. Another big impact that René Descartes made in during the 17th century is in the world of physics. Descartes developed a new way of thinking of physics but was afraid to share them with the world because they defied the things that Aristotle said. Written within the philosophies that he has different from Aristotle, Descartes even confesses, “These six meditations contain all the foundations of my physics. But please do not tell people, for that might make it harder for supporters of Aristotle to approve them. I hope that readers will gradually get used to my principles, and recognize their truth, before they notice that they destroy the principles of Aristotle” (Descartes 2). Descartes had these great ideas that even he knew would impact history back then and wished for the world to accept then but he realized that this would defy what Aristotle was saying and did not want everyone who followed Aristotle to think that he is simply trying to destroy what Aristotle said. Descartes made such a great impact at this time in history because people did not want to believe what he was saying because they were so stuck in the ways of Aristotle. The thought for so long that what he said was the only way. One of the final biggest impacts Descartes had on this era was his collection of essays titled, //Meditations of the First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Body are Demonstrated.// In this six series collection Descartes analyzes God, The nature of the human mind, truth and error, doubt, material things, and the distinction between minds connection to man. One of Descartes main arguments is, “ The mind and body are distinct substances, He writes that humans are spirits, and that their essential attributes are exclusively of the spirit (for example thinking, willing, and conceiving). The human spirit occupies a mechanical body, made up of extended substance. Attributes like sense perception, movement and appetite are of the body and not the spirit, so they do not comprise human essence” (Rene 1). This idea is one that influenced others to look for the connection to their human spirit. Historically this is important because people started connecting these new idea of philosophy into things like medicine.

"Descartes Life and Works." //Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. Stanford University, 9 Apr. 2001. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. "Rene Descartes - Biography." //The European Graduate School//. The European Graduate School, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.
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=Cultural= Jason Gomez



René Descartes, also known as one of the fathers of philosophy, is still known today for his ways of thinking and methods of reasoning. Descartes created a method for reasoning that is widely accepted today and is a process that many go through. Descartes’ method of reasoning emphasizes that all is to be questioned and that nothing should be taken at face value. Descartes was also known for his combining of mathematics and science into his philosophy, and his theories prove how the senses of the body impact overall character. Descartes’ theory speaks of how senses are one of the only ways to obtain knowledge within this world, but at times, senses can be deceiving. Although many of Descartes’ theories on how the body functioned were deemed incorrect, his ideas sparked curiosity in other philosophers such as Cordemoy, Geulincx, Le Grand, Malebranche, and many others. The other philosophers researched and built off of Descartes original theories and created them stronger. Descartes’ beginning theories of reasoning and logic have evolved and have grown, but they are what have shaped all of modern philosophy.

Works Cited

European Graduate Schools. "René Descartes - Biography." //René Descartes//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

Hatfield, Gary, "René Descartes", //The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011// //Edition)//, Edward N. Zalta (ed.) Web. 19 Oct. 2012