Essay about Rene Descartes Faith and Reason - 1292 Words

Rene Descartes Faith and Reason The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries witnessed a colossal transition in the scientific view of the universe. During this period a profound rethinking of scientific theory as well as moral and religious matters took place. Traditional ideas were reconsidered by religious thinkers. Philosophers began applying rational scientific thought to problems that they considered. The main concept of the Scientific Revolution was to question everything. The Scientific Revolution was an elaborate movement. Many brilliant people with a wealth of new ideas contributed to this movement. The French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist Rene Descartes was one of these people. Rene Descartes was born March†¦show more content†¦Following his departure from La Fleche, Descartes spent the following four years at the University of Poitiers. He graduated from Poitiers with a degree in civil and canon law. Soon after graduation Descartes enlisted in the Bavarian army, to travel, rather than to do combat. He traveled abroad for the next eight years before finally settling in Holland. Descartes chose Holland because he felt that the atmosphere there provided him with intellectual liberty, which in turn produced a creative flow of ideas 3. He chose to live in a small chateau in isolation except for a few servants. This chateau served him well because it was a rather quiet place where he could evolve his ideas systematically. He spent much of his time strolling through his garden and reflecting. At his chateau in Holland, Descartes devoted nearly all of his time to philosophy and mathematics. Descartes spent his first four years in Holland, 1629 to 1633, writing Le Monde, which attempts to give a physical theory to the universe. He learned, however, that its publication would likely bring to him animosity from the church 4. Descartes felt no desire to become a martyr; therefore, he abandoned it. Following this work, Descartes began work on Discours de la mà ©thode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la và ©rità © dans les sciences which was a disquisition on universal science. Descours de la mà ©thode was published in 1637Show MoreRelatedRene Descartes’s Trademark Argument States that God is the Center of the World875 Words   |  3 Pagespage 25, part 5 of Renà © Descartes’s â€Å"Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy,† the author attempts to explain the meaning behind the way God decided to: create the world as we know it, and maintain it. Descartes uses logic-based reasoning to explain 3 things: why he has an idea about God at all, how his idea was formulated, and why it is makes sense. Renà © believes that God has had his influence in everything on this earth, natural, human, and material. Descartes starts the passageRead More Descartes And Hume Essay545 Words   |  3 Pagesable to find truth: through reason (A is A), by utilizing the senses (paper burns) or by faith (God is all loving). As the period of the Renaissance came to a close, the popular paradigm for philosophers shifted from faith to reason and finally settling on the senses. Thinkers began to challenge authorities, including great teachers such as Aristotle and Plato, and through skepticism the modern world began. The French philosopher, Renà © Descartes who implemented reason to find truth, as well as theRead MoreProposed Seven Philosophers On The Existence Of God And Their Development Of These Ideas1413 Words   |  6 Pagesand focus on three specifically for my choice topic. The seven philosophers are as follows: (1) Socrates, (2) Plato, (3) Aristotle, (4) Francis Bacon, (5) St. Augustine, (6) Thomas Aquinas, and (7) Rene DesCartes. The specific three I want to focus on being; St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Rene Descartes. Lastly, I will proceed to relate their ideas on the existence of God and their development of these ideas. St. Augustine s epistemology is rationalization. In his argument for the existence ofRead MoreEssay on The Scientific Revolution and The Enlightenment1731 Words   |  7 Pages16th and 17th centuries changed the way that people views the world. Scientific philosophers such as Galileo and Descartes threw out the old teachings of the church and challenged them with new ways of thinking. These men sought to prove that rational thought could prove the existence of God. They also challenged that it was an understanding of a series of rational thoughts, not faith, would bring understanding of how the world worked. Traditional ways of thinking were ultimately challenged by logicalRead MoreThe Enlightenment Period : The Age Of Reason1332 Words   |  6 PagesAge of Awareness The Enlightenment period, also known as The Age of Reason, was a highly intellectual movement of the late seventeenth century and the eighteenth century Europe. This development highlighted reasoning, equality and more of a humanistic approach was taken as opposed to traditional practice. This period was heavily influenced by scientific thought, skepticism and intellectual stimulation. The plan of this era was to reform society and the way it used reasoning as well as oppose longRead MoreThe Science Of Math And Science By Mathematical And Experimental Proof1144 Words   |  5 Pagesmen, born and raised in religious and still skeptic times were Renà © Descartes and Charles Darwin who, with their most â€Å"infamous† books, â€Å"The Mediation† and â€Å"the Origin of Species† would create chaos in the minds of religious believers at the time but, in the long-run, would be considered to be true and deemed to have a major impact how humans handle situations in tod ay’s non-religious world. The father of modern philosophy, Renà © Descartes, was born and raised a religious man back when religion wasRead MoreThe Philosophical Works Of Descartes Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesRenà © Descartes 1641 Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 1996. This file is of the 1911 edition of The Philosophical Works of Descartes (Cambridge University Press), translated by Elizabeth S. Haldane. Prefatory Note To The Meditations. The first edition of the Meditations was published in Latin by Michael Soly of Paris â€Å"at the Sign of the Phoenix† in 1641 cum Privilegio et Approbatione Doctorum. The Royal â€Å"privilege† was indeed given, but the â€Å"approbation† seems to have been of a most indefiniteRead MoreMontaigne and Augustine1359 Words   |  6 Pageshumanity as a whole is. By admitting support of Montaigne in the matter, one is clearly saying It is my belief that the creator made us as humans in His image and that in order to cleave to God, we must cast off the unnatural error s of vanity, reason, selfishness and let our natural tendencies decide our modes of conduct and also determine our paths in life that we may better come to know God. An Augustinian perspective on the other hand would fully support the belief that we as humans areRead MoreThe Approach to Nature of Descartes and White Essay766 Words   |  4 PagesThe Approach to Nature of Descartes and White The approach to nature which Renà © De scartes takes is distinct from that of Gilbert White. Descartes and White have similar key methods of examining nature. It is mainly in Descartes’ deductive reasoning and beliefs that lead him to the methodRead MoreThe Enlightenment Impact On Western Society973 Words   |  4 Pagesreligion to answer questions about humanity, they turned toward logic and reason as their guides. In doing so, many arrived at conclusions that radically changed thinking across Europe. Their findings emphasized the rights of the individual, equality of all, feminism, and new perspectives political, social, and economic aspects of society. Some of the most notable figures from this period include John Locke, Rene Descartes, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Often considered one of