Rene Descartes
Michaela Hoenigl
MATH-1111-BA College Algebra
September 28, 2013
Essay René Descartes – Discourse on Method
“How can I know what is true?“ - this is the main question that René Decartes discusses in Discourse on Method. He talks about the desire he always had to distinguish the true from the false in order to see clearly in his actions. Apart from this, he points out several principles that he established in order to confirm his knowledge.
To begin with, René Descartes central objective is to reach certainty and in this relation he comes up with the famous statement “I think, therefore I am“. He also developed four principles which enabled him to take a resolution never in a single instance in order to figure out the truth.
The first principle was about never accepting anything for true unless it was not clearly and distinctly enough that he had no occasion to doubt it.
The second, to divide each of the problems into as many parts that are possible and that are required in order to resolve them better.
The third principle was about arranging his thoughts in an orderly way by beginning with simple and easy objects and stepping down to more complex.
And the last principle was about making enumerations absolutely complete so that nothing could be omitted.
Besides, Descartes is convinced that there is often not as much perfection in works composed of several pieces and made by the hands of diverse masters as in those on which one master alone has worked. In this context, he states that buildings built by a single architect are usuallly more beautiful than those that have been constructed by many architects.
He also reveals that education from several sources does not lead to the truth.
In other words, Descartes considers it senseless to have several influences on a work if it is not carried out by one person.
Moreover, René Descartes states how he appreciated the value of education but he also emphasizes that there was no room for questioning
MATH-1111-BA College Algebra
September 28, 2013
Essay René Descartes – Discourse on Method
“How can I know what is true?“ - this is the main question that René Decartes discusses in Discourse on Method. He talks about the desire he always had to distinguish the true from the false in order to see clearly in his actions. Apart from this, he points out several principles that he established in order to confirm his knowledge.
To begin with, René Descartes central objective is to reach certainty and in this relation he comes up with the famous statement “I think, therefore I am“. He also developed four principles which enabled him to take a resolution never in a single instance in order to figure out the truth.
The first principle was about never accepting anything for true unless it was not clearly and distinctly enough that he had no occasion to doubt it.
The second, to divide each of the problems into as many parts that are possible and that are required in order to resolve them better.
The third principle was about arranging his thoughts in an orderly way by beginning with simple and easy objects and stepping down to more complex.
And the last principle was about making enumerations absolutely complete so that nothing could be omitted.
Besides, Descartes is convinced that there is often not as much perfection in works composed of several pieces and made by the hands of diverse masters as in those on which one master alone has worked. In this context, he states that buildings built by a single architect are usuallly more beautiful than those that have been constructed by many architects.
He also reveals that education from several sources does not lead to the truth.
In other words, Descartes considers it senseless to have several influences on a work if it is not carried out by one person.
Moreover, René Descartes states how he appreciated the value of education but he also emphasizes that there was no room for questioning