René Descartes: Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

Flashcards covering the life, mathematical contributions, reasoning methods, and philosophic proofs of René Descartes as presented in his Discourse on Method and Meditations.

René Descartes

An influential philosopher ($1596-1650$) known for searching for a philosophic method to discern truth and establish certainty in knowledge.

Discourse on Method ($1637$)

A work by Descartes divided into parts that explore considerations about the sciences, his new philosophic method, and the foundation of his philosophy.

Deductive Reasoning

A process of reasoning in which, from one or more premises, a logically certain conclusion is reached.

Inductive Reasoning

A reasoning style where the premises provide strong probable evidence for the conclusion, different from the logically certain conclusions of deduction.

Empiricism

A philosophic approach based on the evidence of the senses; Descartes rejected this as the foundation for certainty.

Valid Argument

A deductive argument where the conclusion necessarily follows from the premises, regardless of whether the premises are true.

Sound Argument

A deductive argument that is both valid and has premises that are actually true.

Analytic Geometry

A branch of mathematics created by Descartes that brought together geometry and algebra using the Cartesian coordinate system ($x$ and $y$ axis).

The Four Rules for the New Method

$1$) Never accept anything as true unless plainly known; $2$) Divide difficulties into as many parts as possible; $3$) Conduct thoughts in an orderly fashion from simple to complex; $4$) Make thorough enumerations and reviews.

Provisional Code of Morals

A set of four maxims Descartes adopted while conducting his method: obey laws/customs/religion, be firm in actions, conquer self over fortune, and cultivate reason.

Radical Doubt

The method of doubting everything—including bodily senses, the reality of the external world (dream hypothesis), and mathematical proofs (evil demon hypothesis)—to find certain truth.

Cogito Ergo Sum

Latin for "I think, therefore I am" (French: Je pense, donc je suis), identified by Descartes as his first certainty and the foundation of his philosophy.

Argument from Imperfection

A proof for God's existence stating that the idea of perfection inside a non-perfect being must be caused by an actually perfect and infinite being.

Argument from Causality

A proof for God's existence stating that since I am a dependent being and did not create myself, my existence must be caused by God.

Ontological Argument

A proof for God's existence stating that God is an infinitely perfect being, and since existence is a necessary predicate of perfection, God must exist.

Skepticism

A tendency of doubt about the possibility of certain knowledge which Descartes sought to defeat.

Solipsism

The idea that an individual human is caught entirely within his or her own subjectivity, thoughts, or worldview.

Mind-Body Dualism

The theory that the soul is of a nature entirely independent of the body and that its nature is defined exclusively as a "thinking" thing.

Animal-Machine

The Cartesian view that animals lack intelligence or rational souls and function as purely physical movements, similar to a clock composed of wheels and springs.

Pineal Gland

The location in the human brain, between the two hemispheres, where Descartes argued the immaterial soul is seated.

Practical Philosophy

Descartes's goal to replace speculative philosophy with useful knowledge, allowing humans to become "masters and possessors of nature" through science and technology.

Intelligence

In the modern Cartesian model, the disembodied thinking mind that calculates, processes information, and creates technological devices.