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3 gru 1997 · René Descartes (1596–1650) is widely regarded as a key figure in the founding of modern philosophy. His noteworthy contributions extend to mathematics and physics. This entry focuses on his philosophical contributions to the theory of knowledge.
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Find the quotes you need in René Descartes's Meditations on First Philosophy, sortable by theme, character, or chapter. From the creators of SparkNotes.
Thus, through his method of systematic doubt, Descartes speaks to the core of what it is to do science and philosophy: using the intellect to clarify our perceptions of the world until they are clear and distinct enough to count as knowledge. Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme… Knowledge, Doubt, and Science ThemeTracker.
Descartes thinks he can know, with absolute certainty, that he exists now as a thinking thing. But he cannot know any facts about his body – after all, you can have mistaken beliefs about your body while dreaming. So has Descartes proven he is something (a mind) distinct from his body?
His most famous work, the Meditations, begins by exhorting us to doubt all our opinions, including our belief in the existence of the external world. But critics have charged that this universal doubt is impossible for us to achieve because it runs counter to human nature.
Here, we see Descartes doubt the nature of God’s existence. Typically, and within the Judeo-Christian cosmology, God’s nature has always been understood as all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-benevolent, infinite and eternal in nature.
“Cogito ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am.) ― René Descartes. tags: latin, life-and-living, mottos, thinking. 735 likes. Like. “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” ― René Descartes. tags: doubt, truth. 700 likes. Like.
