Many researchers of the history of philosophy rightly consider Rene Descartes the founder of Western modern philosophy. Why is Rene Descartes famous? The biography and main ideas of this physicist, mathematician, scientist are described in the article below.
Childhood and adolescence
Rene Descartes was born into an impoverished noble family and was the youngest of three sons. His maternal grandmother was involved in his upbringing, since his father, Joachim Descartes, worked as a judge in another city, and his mother, Jeanne Brochard, died when Rene was not even two years old. The boy received a religious education at the Jesuit school La Fleche. Since childhood, he was very inquisitive and early began to get involved in mathematics. In 1616, René Descartes received a bachelor's degree.
Rene Descartes. Biography. Dutch period
After graduating from university, the future scientist went to fight. During the time spent in military service, he visited several hot spots of that time: the siege of La Rochelle, the revolution in Holland, the battle for Prague in the Thirty Years' War. Upon returning to his homeland, Descartes almost immediately has to leave for Holland, since in France the Jesuits accused him of heresy for freethinking.
In Holland, the scientist lived as much as 20years. During these years of scientific research, Descartes created and published several works that became fundamental in his philosophy.
- "Peace" (1634)
- "Discourse on Method" (1637)
- "Reflections on the First Philosophy…" (1641)
- "Principles of Philosophy" (1644)
Society was divided into two parts: those who admired and those who were shocked by Rene Descartes' discoveries.
The short biography of the scientist is replete with discoveries and works, but very little is known about his personal life. Descartes was not married. It is only known that in 1635 his daughter Francine was born. Her mother was a scientist's maid. Rene Descartes became very attached to the baby and was inconsolable for a long time when she suddenly died of scarlet fever at the age of 5. Being a strange and reserved person, the philosopher turned out to be a caring and gentle father.
The church elite of Holland could not accept the scientist's free-thinking ideas. All his life he was persecuted. The Dutch period is no exception. In France, Cardinal Richelieu allowed it to be printed there, but the Protestant theologians of the Netherlands cursed it.
Swedish period
In 1649, Rene Descartes, at the insistent invitation of the Swedish Queen Christina, persecuted by the Dutch Inquisition, moved to Stockholm. In 1649, his work "The Passions of the Soul" was published.
Life at court was not easy either: although the queen was supportive of the scientist, she burdened him too oftenmental work. At the same time, the he alth of the philosopher (already weak) deteriorated even more in the harsh northern climate. Relations between the scientist and the church deteriorated completely.
According to the official version, Rene Descartes died on February 11, 1650, suffering from pneumonia. There is speculation that he was poisoned. After 17 years, the remains of the great philosopher were transported from Sweden at the request of France and reburied in the chapel of the Abbey of Saint-Germain.
The significance of the philosophy of Descartes - the founder of rationalism
Rene Descartes is considered to be the founder of rationalism. The main ideas in the field of philosophy can be summarized as follows.
- The scientist put forward a hypothesis about the main modes and attributes of the substance.
- Descartes proved that the mind plays a major role in cognition.
- He is the author of the theory of dualism, with the help of which the materialistic and idealistic directions of philosophy are reconciled.
- Descartes put forward the theory of "innate ideas".
Teaching about substance
In the process of studying the problem of being, its essence, the concept of substance was formulated, the author of which is Rene Descartes. The main ideas of the scientist are based on this concept.
Substance is everything that exists and at the same time does not need anything but itself for its existence. Only the eternal, uncreated, almighty God possesses this quality. He is the cause of everything and the source. God, being the Creator,He also created the world from substances that have the same quality: they exist and do not need anything other than themselves to exist. In relation to each other, the created substances are self-sufficient, and in relation to the Lord they are secondary.
Descartes divides created substances into material (things) and spiritual (ideas). For material secondary substances, extension (measures of length) is characteristic. They are divisible ad infinitum. Spiritual created substances, according to the idea of the philosopher, have a sign of thinking. They are indivisible.
Man is elevated above everything else in nature by the fact that he consists of two substances: material and spiritual. Thus man is dualistic. The material and spiritual substances in it are equivalent. This is how Rene Descartes saw the "crown of creation". The scientist's views on dualism solved the age-old question of philosophy about what is primary: matter or consciousness.
Proof of the primacy of reason
"I think, therefore I am" - the author of this famous aphorism is Rene Descartes. The main discoveries of the philosopher are based on the postulate of the primacy of reason.
Any thing can be doubted, therefore, doubt is real and does not need proof. Doubt is a property of thought. Doubting, a person thinks. Therefore, a person really exists, since he thinks. Thinking is the work of the mind, therefore it is the mind that lies at the heart of being.
Deduction of Descartes
The scientist suggested using the deduction method not only in mathematics andphysics, but also in philosophy. "To transform knowledge from handicraft to industrial production" - this is the task that Rene Descartes set himself. The country in which he lived (especially the Jesuits) did not accept his teachings.
Here are the main postulates of this epistemological method:
- rely in research only on absolutely reliable knowledge and judgments that do not cause any doubts;
- divide a complex problem into parts;
- go from proven and known to unproven and unfamiliar;
- follow a strict sequence, to prevent the loss of links in the logical chain.
Teaching about "innate ideas"
Great importance in the development of philosophy was the doctrine of "innate ideas", the author of which is also Rene Descartes. The main ideas and postulates of the theory read:
- most knowledge is achieved by deduction, but there is knowledge that does not require proof - "innate ideas";
- they are divided into concepts (for example, soul, body, God, etc.) and judgments (for example, the whole is greater than the part).
Rene Descartes. Biography: interesting facts
- During 20 years of living in Holland, Rene Descartes managed to live in all its cities.
- I. P. Pavlov considered Rene Descartes the founder of his research, therefore he erected a monument to the philosopher in front of his laboratory.
- With the light hand of Descartes, the Latin letters A, B and C denote constants, and the last letters of the Latin alphabet– variables.
- There is a crater on the Moon named after the great scientist.
- The Swedish Queen Christina wanted Rene Descartes to work with her every morning. The biography of the scientist contains information that he had to get up at five in the morning for this.
- During the reburial of the remains of the philosopher, the missing skull was discovered, which no one could explain.
- Despite the fact that pneumonia is still considered the official version of the death of a scientist, many believe that he was killed. Evidence of arsenic poisoning of René Descartes was discovered in the 1980s.
