Rene Descartes: Life, Philosophy, and the Cartesian Method
Rene Descartes: A Life in Philosophy
René Descartes (1596-1650) was born in La Haye, France, into a small and wealthy noble family. He did not have to work and lived on the income of his parents. Sent to “La Flèche,” a Jesuit finishing school, he later decided to travel due to his discontent with what he had learned and his desire to find answers to his questions. He joined the army and, after a significant dream, felt compelled to bring something new to science—a new method. In 1618, he went to Holland, a country known for free thought and Protestantism, which favored scientific inquiry. There, he devoted himself to studying science and mathematics, seeking to internalize and understand the revelations from his dream. In 1649, Christina of Sweden invited him to be her mentor. He died in 1650 of pneumonia. Among his writings are the Discourse on the Method and Meditations on First Philosophy.
Historical Context
Descartes’ era was marked by absolute monarchy and the formation of national religious states. The Thirty Years’ War highlighted the struggle between Protestants and Catholics. Capitalism grew, fueled by expanding trade and large national campaigns, leading to the establishment of stock exchanges. The first expansion of capitalism and scientific advances brought remarkable progress in science based on observation and experimentation, leading to new inventions in measurement and the advent of steam power.
Descartes’ Philosophical Project
Descartes sought the unification of science. He aimed to formulate a method to find certain knowledge—not only to know the truth but to have certainty. To achieve this, he believed it was necessary to:
- Develop a method.
- Formulate provisional moral standards.
- Develop different sciences, beginning with metaphysics.
- Achieve indefinite progress of science, creating knowledge that no one could erase.
The Cartesian Method
The method is the path to be followed to arrive at knowledge. It consists of four rules (the Cartesian method) that, when followed, lead to certain knowledge and allow for the indefinite progress of human knowledge. This orderly progress in the acquisition of truth forms the base unit of science. The method is based on mathematics.
The Four Rules of the Cartesian Method
- Evidence: This rule helps us differentiate truth from falsehood. A truth is something that comes to mind with clarity and distinction.
- Analysis: This involves breaking down the problem into simpler elements to achieve a clear intellectual intuition.
- Synthesis: This involves establishing a logical order in deduction, moving from the simple to the complex.
- Enumeration: This involves verifying and reviewing the entire problem to ensure nothing is omitted.
Having established the method in mathematics, Descartes believed it was correct and applicable to other sciences, starting with metaphysics. He intended to find original principles from which other sciences could derive their own principles. It was necessary to find an obvious truth to build the philosophical system. To achieve this, Descartes employed Cartesian doubt.
Cartesian Doubt
Cartesian doubt is characterized as methodical, theoretical, universal, and radical. The reasons for doubt include:
- The reliability of the senses.
- Reasoning.
- The ability to put even the most habitual certainties into brackets.
The one certainty that cannot be doubted is the very subject of doubt itself. If one doubts, then one exists.