Rene Descartes

Early life

• Born in 1596

• Joined a Jesuit school at 6

• Sickly; stayed in bed until noon everyday

• Preferred being a mathematician than a philosopher

2 major influences

1. Galileo’s inquisition

2. Ignatius of Loyola’s spiritual exercises

Cosito Ergo Sum

I think therefore I am

Book 1 (DOM)

Scientific considerations

Book 2 (DOM)

Principle rules of method

Scientific considerations

a. It is possible to come to the truth through reasoning

b. Self-examination is just as important as examining the world

c. Book learning interferes with natural intuition

Principle rules of method

• Never believe anything I cannot prove

• Reduce every problem to its simplest parts

• Always proceed from the simple to the complex

• Creates an unbroken chain of reasoning

Book 3 (DOM)

Morals and maxim for the method

Morals and maxim for the method

a. Obey the laws and keep the faith

b. Be decisive and stick to positions

c. Try to change myself and not the world

Book 4 (DOM)

Proof of God and the soul

Book 5 (DOM)

Physics and anatomy

Book 6 (DOM)

Conclusion

Conclusion

• Apologies for any error

• Request for peer review

• Defense of scientific experimentation