RENÉ DESCARTES: THE THINKING SLIDESMANIA.COM THINGS Who is René Descartes? SLIDESMANIA.COM ● Father of modern philosophy ● Decided he would devote his life to reforming knowledge through mathematics and science. He began with philosophy because it was the root of all other sciences. BOOKS WRITTEN BY RENE DESCARTES ● attempt to explain his method of reasoning Discourse on the Method Meditations on First Philosophy SLIDESMANIA.COM Principles of Philosophy through even the most difficult of problems. He illustrates the development of this method through brief autobiographical sketches interspersed with philosophical arguments. ● published in 1641, tackled the objections of those who disputed his findings in Discourse and introduced a circular form of logic known as a “Cartesian circle.” ● published in 1644 and read throughout Europe, attempted to find the mathematical foundation of the universe. He sets down the following rules: • (1) to never believe anything unless he can prove it himself • (2) to reduce every problem to its simplest parts SLIDESMANIA.COM • (3) to always be orderly in his thoughts and proceed from the simplest part to the most difficult • (4) to always, when solving a problem, create a long chain of reasoning and leave nothing out. • Thought and Reason • The Existence of God • The Mind and Body Problem SLIDESMANIA.COM Thought and Reason SLIDESMANIA.COM • “Cognito Ergo Sum,” translated as “I think; therefore I am.” • Descartes believed that it is through the ability to reason that humans gain true knowledge and certainty in science. • Since sensory perception was unreliable, the only thing Descartes could truly be sure of was that people are thinking things. • So what is it that cannot be doubted? The way you doubted cannot be doubted. This indubitable reality is the consciousness, self-awareness, and seat of intelligence within the human person. The Existence of God SLIDESMANIA.COM • Descartes concludes that the only way to have knowledge of other things is by having knowledge of God. • Descartes then claims that though he, himself, is imperfect, the fact that he can conceive of the notion of perfection means perfection must exist; and this perfection is God. • A thing can only come from something as or more perfect than it is itself. The Mind and Body Problem ● Descartes was a famous proponent of substance dualism (also referred SLIDESMANIA.COM to as Cartesian dualism), the idea that the mind and body are separate substances. ● According to Descartes, the mind and body interact with each other at the pineal gland, which he called “the seat of the soul.” ● According to Descartes, like the soul, the pineal gland is a part of the brain that is unitary (though scientific research now shows that it too is split into two hemispheres), and its location near the ventricles makes it the perfect location to influence the nerves that control the body. SLIDESMANIA.COM Did you know? ARISTOTLE AND PLATO ● Their discourse about the human person tackled the two basic principles of the body and soul— the matter and the form. ● They both argued that there is a certain relationship between these two important points. VINZONS SLIDESMANIA.COM ● According to Vinzons, Descartes “widens the gap between body and the soul even more”. ● Descartes separated the soul from the body which has the faculty to think and therefore cannot be doubted unlike the body. COGNITO ERGO SUM Make your own reflection about this famous statement of René Descartes. SLIDESMANIA.COM Thank you! Do you have any questions? SLIDESMANIA.COM hello@mail.com 555-111-222 mydomain.com Editable Icons SLIDESMANIA.COM Free themes and templates for Google Slides or PowerPoint NOT to be sold as is or modified! SLIDESMANIA.COM Read FAQ on slidesmania.com Do not remove the slidesmania.com text on the sides. Sharing is caring!
