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René Descartes (1596-1950): An introduction

Information: A brief overview of the life and philosophy of René Descartes, who is regarded by many as the Father of Modern Philosophy. A version of this article was originally published on the website www.faithnet.org.uk.

René Descartes was born near Poitiers (France) into a wealthy family, and as such he never had to work for a living. He had an influential Jesuit education, which placed strong emphasis on method and taught him to strive for success by doing everything in the most efficacious way. Descartes graduated from the University of Poitiers in 1618 with a degree in law, and in 1628 moved to Holland where he spent the remainder of his life.

Descartes' first major work was De Mundo. This was going to be published in 1933 as a rational basis for modern Christian thought, in light of Galileo's new theory of the orbit of the planets. However, Descartes abandoned publication of De Mundo when he learned of the condemnation of Galileo by the Roman Catholic Church (November 1633).

In 1637 Descartes published Discourse on Method as a preface to selected chapters from De Mundo.

In 1641 Descartes published his most famous work the Meditations. In 1644 he published Principles of Philosophy (which restated many ideas found in the Meditations) and also The Passions of the Soul.

The first book Descartes wrote was on the art of fencing (sword fighting), but copies of this are no longer in existence.

Descartes was widely held to be a kind and generous man. Although keen to exercise regularly, he was also known to stay in bed each day until 11.00am, where he would think and write. In 1649 Descartes accepted an invitation to teach philosophy to Queen Christina of Sweden, a decision believed to have been the catalyst for his death. Being unaccustomed to the cold and having to give lessons at five o'clock in the morning, he ended up dying from pneumonia in February 1650.

Descartes' chief philosophical aim in the Meditations, was to set out the indubitable (unable to be doubted) foundations of knowledge. Starting with a critique of sense-based experience (empiricism), he rejected this as a reliable foundation for knowledge due to the many times his senses misled him about the true nature of things:

'All that I have, up to this moment, accepted as possessed of the highest truth and certainty, I received either from or through the senses. I observed, however, that these sometimes misled us; and it is the part of prudence not to place absolute confidence in that by which we have even once been deceived.'

During his first meditation, Descartes famously doubted all he had come to know about himself and the world, believing that this would be the means to finding truth. During his most extreme period of doubt, he even reflected on the possibility that all he had come to know about himself and the world so far, might be nothing more than diabolical (demonic) suggestion.

Yet despite his doubts, Descartes came to the conclusion that he could not doubt he was having doubting thoughts! This led him to surmise that he must exist as something which is having these thoughts:

Descartes took this to be an example of a 'clear and evident' truth, and as such he resolved only accept those things which had the same degree of certainty as this 'fact'.

Descartes believed rational reflection could lead people to indubitable knowledge, or 'clear and evident' truths. As such, he believed reason (not experience) was the means to attaining the truth. On the basis of this, he argued that humans only err in their judgements when they priortise sense-based knowledge over reason. For only what is rationally (or logically) 'clear and evident', can be said to provide the basis for knowledge.

Although he put his trust in the power of reason, Descartes also believed in the existence of God as the guarantor of indubitable knowledge.

Descartes believed God was infinite and perfect, and that God had also given humans the ability to know truth through the 'light' of reason. In the Meditations, he argued that God would never allow humans to be deceived about the true nature of something, as God was perfect.

Descartes also believed God's existence was anther example of a 'clear and evident' truth. Most of Descartes' arguments for God's existence are grounded in the notion that an effect cannot be greater than a cause. For instance, in the Third Mediation he suggests that idea of God being infinite and perfect is evidence that God exists, because humans (being finite and imperfect creatures) would never have come up with these notions if they had not been 'caused' to enter their minds by God.

The existence of God was vital to Descartes' new philosophy, as it provided epistemological certainty that what he believed was rationally 'clear and evident' was also indubitably true. Without God, Descartes was unable to be sure that even what was clear and evidently true (to him), was clear and evidently true.

Descartes is regarded by many as the "Father of modern Western philosophy". This is because his method of doubt, belief in the power of reason, and arguments for the separate existence of a mind and body have dramatically influenced and shaped the course of modern philosophical studies, and as such it is unlikely that any student of philosophy will fail to interact with his ideas at some point.