Descartes Rene (a brief biography of this man is the object of our study) was a famous French physicist, mathematician, as well as a physiologist and philosopher. He was the founder of modern European rationalism. One of the most influential metaphysicians of modern times.
The life of Rene Descartes
The scientist was born on March 31, 1596 in France. Since his parents were noblemen, the boy received a good education from childhood. In 1606, René was sent to the Jesuit College of La Fleche. Since the guy’s he alth was poor, the educational institution made relaxations for him in the regime. For example, his mornings started a little later than other students. In the same college, Descartes hated scholastic philosophy and carried this feeling through his whole life.
After graduating from the college, Rene decided to pursue further education, so he received a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Poitiers.
And already in 1619, Descartes finally decides to engage in science. During this period, he was able to discover the basics of a new "amazing science."
In the twentieth year of the seventeenth century, he met the mathematician Mersenne, who had a significant influence on the scientist.
In 1637 comes outthe famous work of René Descartes, published in French, is "Discourse on the method." It was with this publication that the new European philosophy began.
Discourse on Method
Descartes Rene (a brief biography is proof of this) had a philosophical point of view that illustrated the attempts of European culture and traditions to free themselves from old concepts and build a new life, as well as science. The truth, according to the scientist, is considered only the "natural light" of the human mind.
Of course, Descartes does not exclude the value of human experience, but he believes that its only function is to help the mind in those cases in which the forces for cognition are not enough.
Rene Descartes, whose ideas are used in modern philosophy, considered the concept of deduction, or "movement of thought", in which intuitive truths are combined. The human intellect is weak, therefore, it needs constant verification of the steps taken. This technique is needed in order to check the absence of gaps in the reasoning. The scientist calls this test induction. But the result of deduction is a system of general knowledge, or "universal science". Rene compares such science to a tree. Its root is metaphysics, its stem is physics, and its branches are sciences such as mechanics, ethics, and medicine. Each of these sciences must be useful. For every industry to be as efficient as possible, metaphysics must be absolutely correct.
Doubt and truth
Rene Descartes, whose brief biography describesthe most important life stages, believed that metaphysics as a science should begin with an unconditional constant of any beginning. It seems to him that the existence of the whole world and God can be doubted, but that there is a person, he is sure.
"I doubt, therefore I exist" - the truth formulated by Rene Descartes, which made a significant turn in the European philosophy of modern times. The basis of any thought is consciousness, therefore the scientist denies any manifestation of unconscious thinking. An idea is a true property of the soul, therefore it is a “thinking thing.”
However, despite the fact that the scientist believes his own existence is certain, he is not completely sure that the soul exists. It can even be considered a substance that exists separately from the human body. In fact, the human body and soul are true allies. But since the latter is independent in itself, for Rene Descartes it is a guarantee of the probable immortality of the soul.
Reflections on God
Descartes Rene, whose brief biography is evidence of the formation of a new philosophy, also reflected on the doctrine of God.
Besides, later I was able to give several proofs of the existence of the Almighty. The most famous factor is the ontological argument. It is impossible to deny the existence of God without contradiction.
No less significant argument is the very necessity for a person of the existence of the Almighty. From God we receive faith that the outside worldexists and is real. The Lord cannot cheat, therefore the material world actually exists.
Naturalistic philosophy
After the scientist is convinced of the existence of the material world, he begins to study its properties. The main quality of any material things is their extension. Empty space does not exist, because wherever there is extension, there is also an extended thing.
The teachings of Rene Descartes on the philosophy of nature report that other properties of material things exist only in human perception. And in the objects themselves they are not.
The scientist believes that all matter consists of several elements: earth, fire and air. Objects can differ only in size. In addition, things cannot change their state without the presence of stimuli. And they move in a straight line - a symbol of constancy.
In his writings, Rene Descartes talks about maintaining a given amount of world movement. But the movement itself is not a property of matter, but comes from God. One first push is quite enough for matter, which is in chaos, to independently turn into a harmonic cosmos.
Soul and body
Rene Descartes, whose discoveries are known all over the world, devoted a lot of time to the study of living organisms. He considered them to be sensitive mechanisms that are able to adapt to any environment and respond to external stimuli. External influence is transmitted to the brain and affects muscle contraction. The movements carried out by the body are a sequence andcollection of abbreviations.
Animals don't have a soul, and they don't need one. But the scientist was not worried about this. He was more interested in why a person has a soul. In the human body, it can perform the function of correcting the body's natural reactions to stimuli.
The scientist studied the internal organs of animals, and also studied the embryos at all stages of their development. The works of Rene Descartes became the key to modern successful teaching about reflexes. In his works, schemes of reflex reactions were shown taking into account the reflex arc.
Rene Descartes: advances in physics and mathematics
The scientist was the first to introduce coefficients, variables, and notation of degrees. He contributed to the theory of equations: he formulated the rule of signs for finding the number of negative and positive roots. He also showed that the equation of the third degree can be solved in square radicals or with the help of a ruler and a compass.
Together with Pierre Fermat, he became the author of analytic geometry. This science made it possible to algebraize geometry and consider it using the coordinate method. The coordinate system he proposed is named after the scientist.
In 1637, Descartes wrote the manual "Geometry", in which he spoke about the interaction of algebra and geometry. Here, for the first time, such concepts as a function and a variable value were considered.
Also included in this work are lines that describe hinged mechanisms during their movement. Exploring lenses, the scientist outlined the main methods of constructiontangents and normals to plane curves.
Now the whole world knows what Rene Descartes discovered. His work "Geometry" influenced the development of all areas of mathematical sciences. Thanks to the coordinate system he invented, it turned out to really interpret the origin of a negative number.
The works of Descartes are also of great importance for physics. He was able to formulate the law of inertia, and also became the author of the law of refraction of light rays.
The significance of the works of Descartes for philosophy
With his work, the scientist was able to direct the course of modern philosophy in a different direction. B. Spinoza and other European thinkers heeded his advice on the creation of philosophy as an exact science. And also about the fact that metaphysics should be built at the expense of the doctrine of the soul. Descartes also brought the debate about the evidence for the existence of God to a new level.
Scientist character
Rene Descartes, whose discoveries turned out to be very useful for the whole society, was a very silent person, and answered all questions that required wise answers, simply and dryly. This behavior has led to a rather secluded lifestyle. However, in the company of close friends and acquaintances, he became a very sociable and cheerful conversationalist.
According to Balier, a large number of loyal and devoted friends and admirers gathered around the scientist, but the scientist was not endowed with the ability to love others. In communication with his equals he was arrogant and arrogant, but, approaching persons of higher origin, he immediately became flattering.courtier.
A few words about Rene Descartes
The scientist's mother died a few days after his birth. The boy himself remained alive, but until the age of twenty he was in a state that bordered poorly on life. A persistent dry cough and a pale complexion were confirmation. He spent his childhood in a wonderful place, which was famous for its mild climate, fertile soils and magical gardens.
Having left school at the age of seventeen, he completely stopped being interested in books and studies. The young man was only interested in fencing and horseback riding. But this does not mean that his creative personality did not receive the knowledge that she needed for further activities.
All experiences and impressions that completely covered the young Descartes immediately became generalizations and laws. During the passion for fencing, the future scientist wrote a Treatise on Fencing.
At the end of his life, Rene visited the Swedish kingdom at the invitation of Queen Christina herself. She promised to give the already old scientist a large estate in Pomerania. But in exchange, Descartes had to teach her philosophy.
The sickly man had to get up very early in order to be at the palace at five in the morning. The trip to the Queen's castle was long and rough. Once during such a trip, the scientist returned with pneumonia. After being ill for nine days, Rene Descartes passed away.
