Rene Descartes, Research Paper Example

You owe your status as a thinking person to Rene Descartes. While that statement may seem shocking it is actually quite true.  This is due to the fact that Descartes, more than any other single philosopher, laid the groundwork for the modern understanding of consciousness and rationality.  Descartes is most famously known for his statement “Cogito Ergo Sum” which is Latin for “I think therefore I am.” This statement is an essential part of Descartes’ philosophy and indicates the emphasis that he placed on human intellect. According to many philosophers and historians, Descartes is the most important philosopher in modern history. For example, Anthony Grafton in the essay “Descartes the Dreamer” (1996) writes that “No single thinker has had a more decisive influence on the course of modern philosophy – and general intellectual inquiry – than Rene Descartes” (Grafton). As such, he is often considered to be the father of modern philosophy.

Before giving birth to modern philosophy, Descartes was, himself, born in 1596 in a town called La Haye en Touraine in France. This town now bears Descartes name. Descartes lost his mother when he was still an infant and his father served in the Parliament. He went to the “Jesuit College at La Flèche … then entered the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau. In 1628 he retired to Holland, where he spent his time in scientific research and philosophic reflection.” (“Descartes, René”). It was during this time that Descartes began to publish his first writings, in the form of essays which won a great deal of recognition. In order to fully appreciate the impact the his burgeoning philosophy was destined to have, it is important to keep in mind the wide range of Descartes’ intellectual interests and his dynamic range of knowledge. In addition to exploring theology and philosophy, Descartes was a brilliant mathematician who is credited with the creation of analytical geometry and who is also considered a crucial influence in the discovery of infinitesimal calculus. He is considered by historians to be a member of the scientific revolution.

Another element of Descartes’ approach to philosophy and science is that he fully embraced individualism in his thoughts and theories. He remained fearless in the face of his contemporaries and predecessors. If he thought that a long-established philosophical principle was wrong, he had no qualms about proving his point of view through logic and evidence and then proposing an alternate view. He was, in fact, a kind of intellectual rebel who refused to accept any previous assertions of knowledge at face value. According to Gaukroger in: Descartes: An Intellectual Biography (1997), while Descartes was deeply critical of the work of others, he was personally sensitive to criticism of his own work. Gaukroger writes that “Descartes did not take kindly to objections, and was inclined to be dismissive of them.” (Gaukroger 354). This is an important biographical detail because it helps to show the almost confrontational attitude Descartes brought to his studies and writings.

The works published by Descartes covered a vast number of subjects from music to natural philosophy. Some of his most important works are: Le Monde (The World) and L’Homme (Man) (1630), La Géométrie (Geometry) (1637), Meditations on First Philosophy (1641), Principles of Philosophy (1644) and Passions of the Soul (1649). these milestone works represent a systematic inquiry by Descartes into all aspects of human experience including thought, emotion, psychology, spirituality, and science. Most scholars agree that Descartes primary philosophical influences were Aristotelian and Stoic and thrived during the 16^th century. 

Some of the major tenants of Descartes philosophy are familiar to modern readers but were revolutionary in his time. These include Descartes’ belief that natural phenomena is explained by material rather than supernatural means, his conviction that there is no division between mind and body, and his belief that God’s act of creation was, theologically, an act of complete freedom. What Descartes massive scope of writing and thinking accomplished was essentially to lay the groundwork for rationalism that would later explode throughout Europe and the rest of the industrial world. Grafton reminds us that for all of his combativeness and inventiveness, Descartes also actively sought partners for his intellectual ideas. Grafton remarks that “”For all his insistence on the novelty of his views and the necessity for a serious thinker to work alone, he always looked for partners in discussion.” (Grafton). this is evident not only in the legacy of Descartes’ writings, but in the influence his work held over generations of subsequent thinkers.

His primary influence has been, as previously mentioned, on math and philosophy. However, his impact “was widely felt in law and theology also” (“Descartes, René”) and he is rightly known as the father of Cartesian philosophy. In an age where specialty in an area of narrow expertise is the norm, it is almost impossible to comprehend the kind of depth and breadth of knowledge that Descartes evidences in his works. As such, his personal scholarship and intellectual capacity stands as a tremendously persuasive vindication of the principles put forward in his philosophy. The modern scientific age, with its emphasis on rationality and method is in many ways the evolution of Descartes’ early example. Striking out far beyond the basic premise of his most famous statement “I think, therefore I am,” Descartes is nonetheless the undisputed father of Western rational philosophy. As such the continued study of his ideas is a valuable resource for modern universities and for scholastic disciplines across many boundaries.  

Works Cited

“Descartes, René.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2013. 

Gaukroger, Stephen. Descartes: An Intellectual Biography. Oxford: Clarendon, 1997. 

Grafton, Anthony. “Descartes the Dreamer.” The Wilson Quarterly Autumn 1996: 36+.